RFK Jr.'s Daughter-In-Law Amaryllis Fox Has A Wild Past As A CIA Spy

The Kennedy family may be as American as apple pie, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, took her service to the country to a whole other level. Fox Kennedy, who is married to RFK Jr.'s son Robert F. Kennedy III, lived undercover as a CIA spy for years before marrying into the Kennedy family. 

From 2002 to 2010, Fox Kennedy served as a CIA officer operating under nonofficial cover, posing as a private citizen. A nonofficial cover left her without diplomatic immunity, exposing her to a greater risk of capture and imprisonment without legal protection. In 2019, Fox Kennedy told her entire spy story in her memoir, "Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA." It all started when she was recruited by the CIA during graduate school. After training, she was shipped off to Shanghai, where she immersed herself in her chosen cover as an art dealer.

Fox Kennedy has since hung up her spycraft and started a family with Robert F. Kennedy III, welcoming two children together. Despite strong opposition from his family, RFK Jr. ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, with Fox Kennedy by his side as campaign manager. During the run, RFK Jr. and Fox Kennedy had harsh words for Donald Trump, similar to those of her former CIA colleagues. However, when their campaign ultimately lost, RFK Jr. made a full turnaround to support MAGA. He even tried, unsuccessfully, to convince Trump to nominate Fox Kennedy as the Deputy Director of the CIA. Although Trump passed her over, RFK Jr.'s enthusiasm shows how proud he is of his daughter-in-law's CIA past.

While Amaryllis Fox Kennedy appears to have a shocking resume as a former spy, NBC News reported that some former CIA officers are skeptical about the truthfulness of her memoir. One main reason behind their suspicion was that the book's manuscript was submitted to its publisher without the mandatory approval from the CIA, which is necessary for any former officer publishing material related to intelligence matters. But Fox Kennedy told the news outlet, "My aim was really to capture the kind of 'Capital T' Truth, the emotional truth of going through this transformation," adding, "And that is something you can do and still maintain accuracy by not only changing names and places but by having compelling characters and situations I met along the way without identifying them directly."

But others were far less compelled by her interpretation. Per NBC News, Fox Kennedy wrote about a highly dangerous mission that involved her single-handedly dissuading terrorists from setting off a radiation bomb in Karachi, Pakistan.However, one CIA officer who operated in the same area was skeptical (via NBC News). He said that any operative who suggested Fox Kennedy's strategy would have been sent back to basic training. Nonetheless, the book was published in 2019. Fox Kennedy maintained that there was no controversy because she admitted to changing details on the first page of the book. 

Although she is now living a civilian life, Fox Kennedy's ties to the spy world remain significant. Variety reported in 2019 that Brie Larson was set to star in the Apple series adaptation of Fox Kennedy's memoir, with Larson also serving as a producer.