Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks "funny" because he has a neurological condition called spasmodic dysphonia. This condition causes involuntary spasms of the vocal muscles, which results in a raspy, strained, and sometimes shaky voice. He has been open about this rare disorder, noting that it affects his vocal cords and that the quality of his voice is a result of this abnormality in the brain's neural network. The condition does not cause vocal fatigue but gives his voice a distinct tremulous sound that many people notice in his speech.
