Amaryllis Fox Kennedy

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Amaryllis Fox Kennedy
Born
Amaryllis Damerell Thornber

(1980-09-22) September 22, 1980 (age 43)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Other namesAmaryllis Hope Fox
EducationUniversity of Oxford (BA)
Georgetown University (MA)
Occupations
Spouses
  • Dean Fox (divorced)
Robert F. Kennedy III
​
​
(m. 2018)​
Children3
Parent(s)Hodson Thornber
Lalage Damerell

Amaryllis Fox Kennedy (born Amaryllis Damerell Thornber; September 22, 1980)[1][2] is an American writer, television host, public speaker, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, and campaign manager to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign. She departed from her role at the CIA in 2010.[3] Subsequently, Kennedy authored a memoir about her time in the CIA, entitled Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA, published by Knopf Doubleday in October 2019.[4] She is the host of the six-episode Netflix documentary series The Business of Drugs, released in July 2020.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Amaryllis Fox Kennedy was born in New York City as Amaryllis Damerell Thornber. Her mother, Lalage Damerell, is a retired English actress.[6] Her father, Hodson Thornber, was an economist. Her mother has since married billionaire businessman Steven Rales.[1] When Fox Kennedy was eight years old, she suffered the loss of her friend Laura in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.[7] She said of the event in an interview with the CBC News, "I remember being very, very overwhelmed by the loss and my dad intervened and said, you have to understand the forces that took her or they will drown you."[7] She describes the moment as pivotal for catalyzing increased awareness of current events and geopolitical conditions.[7]

Growing up in Washington, D.C. and London, Fox Kennedy attended the National Cathedral School beginning in eighth grade and graduated in 1998; she attended The American School in London during tenth grade.[8] She completed undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford in 2002.[9] She stated that while at Oxford, she rebuffed approaches from the Secret Intelligence Service.[7][9] Prior to Fox Kennedy's final year at Oxford, the September 11 attacks took place while she was visiting family in Washington, D.C.; subsequently, she decided to pursue a master's degree in conflict and terrorism at the Walsh School of Foreign Service.[10] For her master's thesis, Fox Kennedy developed an algorithm intended to identify local terrorist safe havens, which attracted attention from the CIA.[10]

Career[edit]

Interview with Aung Sang Suu Kyi[edit]

In 1999, at age 18, Fox Kennedy clandestinely recorded an interview for the BBC with the Burmese leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi, then under house arrest. To arrange the meeting, Fox Kennedy worked with a local dissident journalist with whom she communicated via taped messages inside the water tank of a toilet at a café in Rangoon.[9] Her intent in the trip had been to make a secret recording of planned pro-democracy protests on September 9.[11] A book, called "In the Quiet Land" was set to be published in 2002, with film rights optioned to Golden Square Pictures and screenplay by Nick Thomas.[11]

Central Intelligence Agency[edit]

Fox Kennedy became one of the youngest female officers in the CIA at the age of 22, assigned to "non-official cover," entailing living abroad with a fake identity and no diplomatic protections.[12] Fox states her work focused on preventing terror organizations from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, assuming the cover of an art dealer.[3] After eight years at the agency, Fox left the CIA in 2010.[3]

Memoir and controversy[edit]

Fox's memoir, entitled Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA described her experiences as an officer. Prior to the book's release, numerous journalists and former CIA officers pointed out that her memoir's manuscript had been submitted to publisher Knopf Doubleday without first receiving approval from the CIA's Publication Review Board, a potential violation of nondisclosure agreements signed by CIA staff.[4] Fox was represented in that process by attorney Mark Zaid.[13] Some former CIA case officers have expressed skepticism about elements of Fox's accounts of events or raised questions regarding the circumvention of the CIA's lengthy approval process.[4] Fox responded by stating that she had taken care not to reveal potentially sensitive details, and that some characters were composites.[4]

Television and public speaking[edit]

Fox is the host of the Netflix documentary series The Business of Drugs, for which she traveled to several countries while in the third trimester of pregnancy.[3] The show investigates the supply chains, social effects, and legal issues specific to six types of drugs: cocaine, synthetics, heroin, meth, opioids, and cannabis.[14] She speaks at events around the world on dialogue and peacekeeping.[9] Apple is reportedly developing a TV series based on Fox's memoir that will star American actress Brie Larson, with Fox serving as an executive producer on the series.[10]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign manager[edit]

In April 2023, Kennedy joined the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (her father-in-law) as the co-campaign manager, along with Dennis Kucinich.[15] On October 13, 2023, upon the resignation of Kucinich, Kennedy became the sole manager of the campaign.[16]

Personal life[edit]

While living undercover in Shanghai, she married a fellow CIA officer, Dean Fox. The couple had a daughter, Zoe, who was born in Shanghai c. 2008. The marriage ended in divorce.[4][10]

Later, after leaving the agency, she was introduced to Robert F. Kennedy III, oldest son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, via a mutual friend at Burning Man. The two married at Cape Cod in 2018, and have two children together: daughter Bobby "Bobcat" Kennedy (born 2019), and son Cassius Watts Thoreau Kennedy (born 2021).[10][17][18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Who is Amaryllis Fox? The former CIA spy married to a Kennedy". IrishCentral. July 8, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Fox, Amaryllis [@amaryllisfox] (September 23, 2015). "@SecurityGeorge, Man, have I arrived if i'm getting a birthday shoutout from you! Big love, my brother!!" (Tweet). Retrieved September 11, 2020 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b c d St. Clair, Josh (July 16, 2020). "The Business of Drugs Host Amaryllis Fox Has a History in the CIA". Men's Health. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Ex-spy publishing book about undercover exploits without OK from CIA". NBC News. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Jensen, Erin. "New on Netflix July 2020: 'The Old Guard,' Zac Efron's 'Down to Earth,' new 'Unsolved Mysteries'". USA Today. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Who is Amaryllis Fox? The former CIA spy married to a Kennedy". IrishCentral. July 8, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d "Nov. 5, 2019 episode transcript". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Fox, Amaryllis (2019). Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 26–27, 29–30, 32. ISBN 978-0-525-65497-1 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b c d "Eat, Drink And Be Wary: Ex-CIA Officer Reveals How Eateries Are Key To Spycraft". NPR. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e Chozick, Amy (October 10, 2019). "This C.I.A. Officer Wants to Give Peace a Chance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Opens Up To Stark Reality". Catholic Herald. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  12. ^ "Amaryllis Fox on Her 'Life Undercover' in the CIA". KQED. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  13. ^ "People, Etc". Publishers Lunch. October 10, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  14. ^ "'The Business of Drugs' Review: Amaryllis Fox opens a window to illicit drug trade on the Netflix docuseries". Meaww. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  15. ^ Gibson, Brittany; Zhang, Andrew (October 9, 2023). "RFK Jr. announces he will run as an independent candidate". Politico.
  16. ^ Davis O’Brien, Rebecca; Epstein, Reid J. (October 13, 2023). "Dennis Kucinich Leaves Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Presidential Campaign". New York Times.
  17. ^ "Robert F. Kennedy III and Wife Welcome a Daughter Named Bobby". W. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  18. ^ "RFK's grandson Bobby welcomes new son with wife Amaryllis Fox". IrishCentral. September 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
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