Tig Notaro and the friendship rupture that turned public: politics, a podcast, and a sudden silence

tig notaro is describing a break that was not gradual so much as disorienting: a “very strange” falling-out with longtime friend and former podcast co-host Cheryl Hines, framed by politics, public attention, and a decision to “step away” that eventually became permanent.

What Tig Notaro says changed — and what did not

In comments made on MS NOW’s The Best People with Nicolle Wallace podcast, Tig Notaro said she had to “shake” herself out of denial about the status of the friendship. “Oh, she’s gone, ” Tig Notaro said, adding that she needed to let it go.

The rupture, as Tig Notaro described it, was connected to Hines’ political shift and to the growing prominence of Hines’ husband, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Tig Notaro said her friendship with Hines predated Hines’ marriage to Kennedy and described an earlier period when Kennedy’s work in environmental law was part of how she understood him at the time.

But Tig Notaro also described a point where what she characterized as Kennedy’s political platform and controversial beliefs “gained momentum, ” and she said the situation became harder to compartmentalize while maintaining normalcy in the friendship.

From co-hosts to a break in 2023: the podcast becomes part of the story

From 2020 to 2023, Tig Notaro and Hines co-hosted Tig and Cheryl: True Story, a show that reviewed documentaries and became known for banter Tig Notaro described as “ridiculous” and “silly. ” Tig Notaro said the show produced some of the “deepest, hardest laughs” she has experienced.

Still, Tig Notaro said she “needed to stop doing the podcast, ” explaining that the tone of the program clashed with the broader moment as Kennedy’s political profile rose. Tig Notaro said it was “hard to be doing that” while Kennedy was “gaining momentum and speaking, ” and she framed her exit as a necessary boundary: “I had to step away, ” while also emphasizing, “I loved her so much. ”

The friendship ended in 2023, and Tig Notaro’s exit from the podcast became one of the visible markers of that change. After Tig Notaro departed, the podcast was briefly continued by Hines with comedian and Suits actress Rachael Harris before it eventually ended.

The breaking point and the aftermath: endorsement, heckling, and “never heard from her again”

Tig Notaro described a “final break” after Kennedy endorsed Donald Trump in August 2024, a moment Tig Notaro framed as crossing into something she could not overlook. Tig Notaro said staying friends began to feel like “okaying a particular ride for this country to go on. ”

Tig Notaro also described how the situation started following her into her work. She said Hines’ political alignment became a distraction at stand-up shows when fans began heckling Tig Notaro about Hines. Tig Notaro acknowledged it was “a small percentage” but said it was enough to make her feel the clash did not belong in her life or career: “Man, this is not my world. I don’t do this. I don’t want to be a part of this. ” Tig Notaro said Hines responded, “I understand. ”

In Tig Notaro’s account, the personal cost came with a clean break in communication. Tig Notaro said she has “never heard from her again, ” a detail that underscores how quickly a relationship that once extended into weekly recording sessions and years of closeness can harden into silence.

Hines, for her part, has acknowledged in interviews that she lost friends who were “so emotional about politics” that her marriage became a dealbreaker, and she expressed deep sadness about the ending of the podcast she shared with Tig Notaro.

Beyond the political disagreement, Tig Notaro also recalled Hines’ earlier support in her career, saying Hines helped her get her start in Hollywood by taking her to talent agencies after seeing her perform stand-up.

As Tig Notaro tells it now, the contradiction is the hardest part to sit with: a friendship rooted in laughter and professional support, ending not with a gradual drift but with a decision to step away — and the realization, only later, that there would be nothing to step back into.