Coxno Exchange:Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Instagram account has been restored

2025-05-06 23:57:22source:Arvin Robertscategory:News

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Instagram account has been reinstated,Coxno Exchange over a month after he announced his presidential bid, a spokesperson for Meta, the platform's parent company, said in a statement to CBS News on Monday. 

Kennedy, the nephew of the late president John F. Kennedy and son of former U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, complained last week that his personal account hadn't been reinstated despite launching his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president, saying it was "profoundly undemocratic" to not let him on Instagram. 

But over the weekend, his account with more than 770,000 followers was back up and running. 

"As he is now an active candidate for president of the United States, we have restored access to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s, Instagram account," a Meta spokesperson said. 

A Meta executive said in 2019 the company would not prevent a politician's speech from its reaching audience. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits "The Faulkner Focus" at Fox News Channel Studios on June 2, 2023 in New York City. Getty Images

Kennedy has been outspoken about his anti-vaccine advocacy. His account was previously removed from Instagram in 2021 after he repeatedly shared "debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines," a spokesperson for Meta said at the time. Instagram and Facebook's ban on Kennedy's anti-vaccine group, the Children's Health Defense, is still intact. 

Kennedy kicked off his campaign in Boston in April and called himself a "Kennedy Democrat," despite being linked to some far-right figures. His challenge to President Biden has little to no chance of succeeding, and his anti-vaccine stance is at odds with the overwhelming majority of Democrats. He announced he will speak about his campaign with Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces on Monday. 

Christopher Brito

Christopher Brito is a social media manager and trending content writer for CBS News.

More:News

Recommend

Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class

Now wouldn’t this be a treat: Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft back together...as members of the Pro

Georgia House speaker aims to persuade resistant Republicans in voucher push

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns is leaning into the push to pass a voucher plan fundi

Appeals court overturns convictions of former Georgia officer who fatally shot naked man

ATLANTA (AP) — An appeals court has overturned the convictions of a former Georgia police officer wh