# Did Ted Kennedy have any Bastard Children?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ted-kennedy-have-any-bastard-children/740419>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 14, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ted-kennedy-have-any-bastard-children/740419 "2015-12-14T14:54:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ted-kennedy-have-any-bastard-children/740419/1 "2015-12-14T14:54:25Z")

</div>

The late Senator Kennedy was famous for his affairs…I have always wondered if he had any children from any of them. In any case, given the potential for scandal, would such a child be hidden behind payoffs, legal agreements with the mother? could such a child be totally concealed from the public eye?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ted-kennedy-have-any-bastard-children/740419/2 "2015-12-14T17:15:59Z")

</div>

I can’t give you a definitive answer but consider this.

The _Enquirer_ reported in 2006 that Kennedy had fathered an illegitimate son. The mother of child sued for libel and produced DNA tests that proved Kennedy was not the father. The Enquirer quickly (at least in terms of civil lawsuit time)[settled and paid off.](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/enquirer-booted-ithisi-love-child-story)