A claim that Martin Sheen is supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential bid has been shot down by the actor’s castmates in The West Wing—the classic show in which he portrayed President Jed Bartlet.
In late December, the Daily Mail reported that independent 2024 presidential candidate Kennedy is set to be feted at a fundraising gala in the California resort town of Indian Wells on January 22. The soirée has been touted as a celebration of Kennedy’s 70th birthday. It also falls on the eve of the New Hampshire primaries.
A simultaneous social media post from political action committee (PAC) Fighting 4 One America named a selection of celebrity “well wisher” guests who would apparently be on hand for the event, including Sheen, boxing legend Mike Tyson, singer Dionne Warwick. Kennedy is married to actress Cheryl Hines.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for CNN
Rounding out the celebrity contingent, it was further reported that famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli would be on hand to entertain the crowd with his dulcet tones. The gala announcement comes as Kennedy sits in third place, behind Democrat incumbent President Joe Biden and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
However, a number of those reported to be on hand for the gala have since issued denials—including Sheen, whose West Wing castmates shared on social media that the actor and activist is “wholeheartedly” a supporter of Biden.
Bradley Whitford, whose Josh Lyman character started out in the hit NBC series as the deputy chief of staff in the White House, took to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday to share a post striking down claims of Sheen backing Kennedy.
“There’s a story going around saying that Martin Sheen is supporting @RobertKennedyJr for president,” Whitford wrote. “The story is incorrect.”
Whitford added that “Martin asked us to post this on his behalf,” sharing a quote from Sheen that read: “I wholeheartedly support President Joe Biden and the democratic ticket in 2024. Sincerely, Martin Sheen.”
There’s a story going around saying that Martin Sheen is supporting @RobertKennedyJr for president. The story is incorrect. Martin asked us to post this on his behalf.
“I wholeheartedly support President Joe Biden and the democratic ticket in 2024.
Sincerely,
Martin Sheen”— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) January 4, 2024
Mary McCormack, who was seen on The West Wing as Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper, shared Sheen’s statement in full on her X account.
While Sheen expressed his support for Biden, he began his statement by sharing: “I do not endorse RFK Jr nor will I be attending his party.”
McCormack added no other commentary to the post, save for a red heart emoji.
Joshua Malina, whose character Will Bailey was initially brought on board in The West Wing‘s White House as a speechwriter, also weighed in on the matter.
Responding to a screenshot of Sheen’s statement, which was originally posted on the veteran actor’s barely-used Instagram account, Malina quipped: “Huzzah!”
A spokesperson for former Democrat Kennedy’s campaign told Deadline: “The Indian Wells fundraiser is a PAC event. The campaign doesn’t have anything to do with organizing of this event. The campaign has no knowledge of who is attending and can’t confirm or deny anyone’s participation, either as entertainment or as a guest.”
The news outlet also shared a statement from a spokesperson for Fighting 4 One America, one of the main organizers behind the event, that read: “We would not have included Mr. Sheen in our list of attendees had we not received confirmation that he was attending.”
According to Deadline, the event’s organizers, who collectively go by Silent Majority 4 RFK Jr., claimed that Sheen’s representatives at Special Artists Agency told them the actor “would be delighted to attend.” Sheen is represented by Creative Artists Agency.
Newsweek has contacted Special Artists Agency via email for clarification.
Other purported guests have also denied involvement, including musician Warwick, who wrote in response to Fighting 4 America’s X post: “I don’t know anything about this event. I did not agree to it and I certainly won’t be there.”
Sharing a screenshot of the Daily Mail‘s headline regarding the event, Warwick added: “This is absolutely ridiculous. If you are going to lie on my name, at least lie about something cool.”
Warwick then shared a mock headline that read: “Revealed: Dionne collaborates with Rihanna on new album…”
A representative for Bocelli confirmed to Rolling Stone via email that claims the tenor would be performing at the Kennedy event are erroneous, and that he would not even be in the U.S. this month.
Newsweek has contacted a representative of Tyson for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.