Cheryl Hines' Hollywood Pals 'Turn On Her' Over 'Unrecognizable' MAGA Switch And Display On 'The View'

Cheryl Hines, once known as a staunch Hollywood progressive, has reportedly shifted politically since her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Donald Trump's cabinet, leaving her pals stunned.

Despite previously condemning his controversial views, she now publicly defends him, even clashing with "The View" hosts while promoting her memoir "Unscripted."

Cheryl Hines revealed her husband once suggested they pretend to be separated to ease backlash, but she declined, saying the experience ultimately brought them closer amid growing scrutiny.

For years, Hines was known as one of Hollywood's most vocal liberals, with the 60-year-old "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actress often keeping a distance from her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s more controversial opinions.

However, her friends feel that since Kennedy joined Trump's cabinet, Hines has undergone a startling shift, leaving those close to her completely shocked.

Sources told Daily Mail that the actress's political transformation feels "unrecognizable" and "beyond comprehension" for those who knew her as a lifelong Democrat.

Since Trump's inauguration in January, Hines has stood firmly by her husband's side, even amid rumors of his alleged digital affair with journalist Olivia Nuzzi. Her longtime friends admit they're struggling to reconcile the woman they once knew with the person she seems to have become.

"It's so hard to make sense in my head because she was so liberal before," said one friend who's known her since her twenties. "And now, she's married to a member of the Trump administration and she's literally defending his ridiculous sh-t on 'The View.'"

Earlier this month, Hines appeared on "The View" to promote her new memoir, "Unscripted," but the interview quickly took a heated turn.

The actress found herself clashing with hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar after they pressed her about her husband's anti-vaccine views.

At one point, an increasingly frustrated Hines asked, "Can we listen to parents who say, my child got the vaccine and changed and stopped hitting markers, stopped developing the way they were developing—can we listen to people when they say that?"

When the hosts labeled Kennedy "the most unqualified HHS secretary in history," Hines came to his defense, arguing that he has spent much of his career advocating for product safety.

A friend who watched the episode told Daily Mail, "I watched that and I was like 'who are you and what have you done to Cheryl?' It was surreal to watch. I know she loves her husband, but it feels like she abandoned what she believed to be with him."

Hines hasn't always stood by her husband's controversial views. Back in 2022, she publicly criticized Kennedy Jr. after he compared the treatment of unvaccinated people to those who lived under Nazi rule, calling his comments "reprehensible and insensitive."

At the time, she made it clear that they didn't always see eye to eye, saying, "My husband's opinions are not a reflection of my own. While we love each other, we differ on many current issues."

Hines and Kennedy, 71, tied the knot in 2014 at the famed Kennedy Compound in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a union that once seemed like a natural fit.

"At the time, it made sense, her marrying a Kennedy," one Hollywood friend told Daily Mail. "But I didn't see this coming."

Another longtime friend, who has known Hines since her college days at the University of Central Florida, admitted they now avoid political discussions altogether.

"We don't talk politics. We can't talk politics. If we do, it just goes south," the friend said. "It's like she's gone MAGA, or at least MAHA, which is just so...beyond comprehension to me."

The friend added, "She went from 'That side is bonkers' to 'Well, they have some good points,' and 'MAGA people mean well, they're not bad people.' It makes me wonder if she was like this all along or if something has shifted in her ethics and morals."

Despite the public backlash, Hines says the challenges have brought her and Kennedy closer together.

In a candid conversation with Fox News Digital, Hines shared that Kennedy, whom she lovingly calls "Bobby," once suggested they pretend to be separated to lessen the backlash she was receiving for being married to him.

"In my book, 'Unscripted,' I talk about this because things got … dramatic during this presidential campaign," Hines explained. "Some people were very upset that I was even married to Bobby. They were vocally coming at me because I'm married to Bobby. So Bobby felt like, 'You shouldn't be having to take that heat. So why don't we just say we're separated?'"

While she appreciated his concern, Hines said she ultimately rejected the idea.

"It was a very sweet notion, but yeah, I didn't think that was helpful," she admitted. "What needed to happen — and what did happen — is we got closer together. I understood the sentiment behind it, but this is why I think the book is so interesting: you're in these unique situations that nobody else can imagine."