Apart from the well-known tragedies that befell the Kennedys, one secret the media kept so well was how Ethel Kennedy turned out after the assassination of her husband, Robert F. Kennedy. The matriarch, who died on October 10, 2024, was portrayed to be a model of resilience and a champion of social cause; however, close encounters with her prove otherwise.
A recently released biography, The Other Mrs. Kennedy, details how she lived with her 11 children in their estate, Hickory Hill. The beautiful mansion during Robert’s life turned into an unkept zoo for domestic animals as their droppings and urine were left unattended for days.
What are Ethel Kennedy’s secrets?
One might argue that the rude shock of her husband’s assassination in 1968, followed by the unsettling reality of taking care of 10 young children and the pregnancy of her last child, Rory Kennedy, may have caused the switch in her character. However, it does not absolve her of what her actions did to people.
The 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee was described “as always annoyed, exasperated and infuriated, emotionally and physically.” It was as if Ethel “had a deep reservoir of uncontrolled anger.” At some point, Hickory Hill was dubbed “Horror Hill” due to the psychological impact on her workers who had to always come up with “real and imagined” illnesses to escape. One of the biography sources claimed Ethel used to say, “Those black people are stupid”—a stark contrast to her husband’s legacy.
Ethel Kennedy was convicted
It was not only her workers who were at the receiving end, public servants and service providers got their share. There was a time she got a parking violation ticket and tore it right in front of the officer, got a court summons and didn’t show. Later on, she was convicted and asked to pay a $31.25 fine.
Apparently, the book didn’t overreach, as up to a thousand comments on a Daily Mail article share the same sentiments. Commenters shared stories of how she owed money all around town and didn’t pay it back.