Who Is Kerry Kennedy, Andrew Cuomo's Ex-Wife and a Prominent Activist?

Kerry Kennedy, whose full name is Mary Kerry Kennedy (opens in new tab), was married to New York governor Andrew Cuomo (opens in new tab) from 1990 to 2005. Her parents are Robert Francis Kennedy (a.k.a. RFK) and Ethel Skakel—she was seventh out of their 11 total children. She and Cuomo were married for 15 years, and the two share three children together. A long-time human rights activist, Kerry still plays a prominent role in the Kennedy family, specifically the legacy of her father. So what do we know about her?

The marriage was intense, and stressful.

There is a terrific Vanity Fair (opens in new tab) article about their union, but in a nutshell, Kerry took the lead on furthering the work of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights from the time she was a young adult. She went to Brown University and Boston College for law school, and she'd suffered an early loss—her college boyfriend died of a sudden heart attack. Kerry and Cuomo were both activists who came from political families, although the Kennedys didn't always approve of the Cuomos. By the time they married, journalists were calling the union "Cuomolot."

When Cuomo took on-air interviews after the death of Michael Kennedy, Kerry's brother, in 1997, it apparently greatly upset the Kennedy family. By the early 2000s, there were reported tensions in the marriage, with Cuomo intensely driven by work and Kerry stressed at home with their three young daughters. Nevertheless, Kerry worked on Cuomo's first campaign for governor—it went disastrously, he quit the race, and soon after Kerry asked him for a divorce.

The two have three daughters.

Mariah, Cara, and Michaela, like their parents, are activists as well. Per Oprah Mag (opens in new tab), "Michaela, 22, spent her college years using her platform to give victims of sexual abuse a voice. Mariah, 25, an outdoors enthusiast and athlete, continues to work closely with her mother as an advocate for human rights. And Cara, Mariah’s twin, has traveled the world fighting for social justice." Cara's an associate on the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights nonprofit (Kerry is the president) and travels the world doing her advocacy work.

Cuomo was in a long-term relationship with Sandra Lee, but the two split in September 2019. The two exes, Kerry and Cuomo, apparently have a cordial relationship now (opens in new tab): In 2019, Cuomo signed into law the Farm Workers Bill, which Kerry has apparently advocated for for a long time. During his speech, Cuomo mentioned his family:

"'I believe Robert Kennedy would be most pleased to know the great courage and perseverance that he so admired was shown by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, led by his own daughter, Kerry, and by his granddaughters—Cara, Mariah and Michaela,' Cuomo said while looking fondly at his ex."

Otherwise, it seems the two stay quiet about the nature of their relationship. Both seem to be close with their children.

She's still very active on causes she supports.

Kerry's still involved with the family through advocacy work, continuing as president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. She's also editor of Being Catholic Now and author of Robert F. Kennedy: Ripples of Hope, which discusses her father's influence and impact. She's also author of Speak Truth to Power, which features prominent human rights activists. 

Interestingly, unlike a number of her family members, Kerry's pretty active on social media. She talks about human rights, and often posts about her family and in particular her father:

And she regularly does interviews to talk about her work.

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