Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has struggled for decades with a rare disorder affecting his speech, causing his voice to sound strained and raspy when he speaks.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a disorder called spasmodic dysphonia that makes it sound like his voice is shaking. He has said the neurological disease began to affect him when he was 42. “I have a tremble in my

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD), sometimes referred to as laryngeal dystonia, is a rare neurological condition impacting the voice and speech that impacts approximately 50,000 people in North America. For people with SD, muscles spasms in the larynx (also known as the voice box) cause the voice to sound tight, strangled or strained.