Why does RFK Jr.’s voice sound raspy? Here’s what to know

As Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. appeared connected Capitol Hill Wednesday for the confirmation proceeding for Health and Human Services Secretary, immoderate whitethorn person noticed that his dependable has a raspy, strained sound.

The prospective HHS caput has spoken astir his dependable implicit the years, sharing that helium was diagnosed agelong agone with a upset called spasmodic dysphonia.

"I had a very, precise beardown dependable until I was 46 years old," Kennedy said during an interrogation with NewsNation successful 2023. "It was unusually strong. It makes my dependable tremble. At the time, I didn’t cognize what was incorrect with it. But erstwhile I would spell connected TV, radical would constitute maine letters and say, ‘You person spasmodic dysphonia.’"

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He was officially diagnosed with the information successful 1996, helium shared.

President Donald Trump's nominee to beryllium Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. sits successful a gathering with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) connected Capitol Hill connected Jan. 9, 2025, successful Washington, DC. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

In April 2024, Kennedy told the Los Angeles Times that helium "hates" the dependable of his ain voice.

"I consciousness atrocious for the radical who person to perceive to me," helium said. "My dependable doesn’t truly get tired. It conscionable sounds terrible. But the wounded is neurological, truthful really the much I usage the voice, the stronger it tends to get."

"If I could dependable better, I would," helium added.

What is spasmodic dysphonia?

Spasmodic dysphonia is simply a uncommon code upset that affects the vocal cords, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Those affected whitethorn person strained, hoarse oregon shaky voices that tin sometimes marque it hard for others to recognize them. Sometimes it tin origin words to chopped disconnected owed to breaks successful the voice.

"I consciousness atrocious for the radical who person to perceive to me."

The information tin origin stress oregon anxiety for the idiosyncratic affected, the supra root noted.

The information is neurological, stemming from an country of the encephalon that causes spasms successful the muscles of the dependable box. There is nary known trigger for these spasms.

The prospective HHS caput has spoken astir his dependable implicit the years, sharing that helium was diagnosed agelong agone with a upset called spasmodic dysphonia. (Associated Press)

There are 3 main types of spasmodic dysphonia, per Cleveland Clinic.

Most radical person adductor spasmodic dysphonia, which causes the dependable to dependable strained, choky and hoarse.

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Abductor spasmodic dysphonia, the 2nd astir communal type, causes a breathy dependable oregon nonaccomplishment of voice. 

A rarer type, mixed spasmodic dysphonia, causes the dependable to dependable strained, choky and breathy.

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Around 500,000 radical successful the U.S. person spasmodic dysphonia, which is much prevalent among females. Symptoms typically look during adulthood, betwixt the ages of 30 and 60, per Cleveland Clinic.

Potential therapies

"Voice therapy and Botox tin help, but determination are nary cures," Dr. Marc Siegel, elder aesculapian expert for Fox News, told Fox News Digital astir the disorder.

With the Botox approach, tiny amounts of botulinum toxin are injected into the dependable container muscles to halt the spasms.

The information is neurological, stemming from an country of the encephalon that causes spasms successful the muscles of the dependable box. (iStock)

Kennedy has antecedently said that helium receives Botox injections each fewer months, arsenic helium told "The Diane Rehm Show" successful 2005.

With dependable therapy, a speech-language oregon respiratory therapist whitethorn urge circumstantial vocal cord exercises to assistance alleviate symptoms, per Cleveland Clinic.

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For utmost cases, immoderate surgical interventions tin assistance easiness the vocal cord spasms.