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Actress Holly Robinson Peete recently criticized US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his comments about children with autism during a press conference on April 16, 2025. Kennedy stated that the recent and significant rise in autism diagnoses is due to an "epidemic" caused by an environmental toxin that should be eliminated by September.
Holly, a mother of four, shared a clip of RFK Jr.'s remarks on autism harming families. In the video, the US Health Secretary said:
"And these are kids who will never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem. They'll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted."
While resharing RFK Jr.'s comment about autistic children not being able to contribute financially to society, Holly Robinson Peete cited her eldest child, Rodney Peete Jr., and wrote:
"My 27-year-old son with autism didn’t ‘destroy our family’—he gave us purpose and unity… oh, and he pays taxes."
Holly has four children with her husband, Rodney Peete, a former NFL quarterback. After marrying in 1995, the actress welcomed twins in October 1997: son Rodney Peete Jr. and daughter Ryan Elizabeth Peete.
She later had her son, Robinson "Robbie" James Peete, in 2002, and her youngest child, Roman Matthew Peete, in 2005.
Holly Robinson Peete recalled she was ready to leave her husband after her son's autism diagnosis
Holly Robinson Peete has been vocal about her son Rodney Peete Jr.'s autism and her own challenges with it. In a 2017 article she wrote for HuffPost, Holly revealed that Rodney Jr. was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 in 2000, and that their journey was full of "high-highs, low-lows, and countless small wins."
She also noted how the pediatrician provided her and her husband with a "laundry list" of things their son would never do on the day he received his diagnosis. This list stated that he would never form meaningful friendships, develop language, attend a mainstream school, drive, self-advocate, or say unprompted 'I love you's'.
Additionally, during an appearance on Kelly Ripa's Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast in January 2024, the actress shared how her son's autism diagnosis nearly ended her marriage. She remarked that her husband was meant to be the Heisman Trophy winner, while their son was the boy who ran around the locker room twirling, flapping, and stimming.
Holly Robinson Peete recalled that her husband struggled to understand that their son wasn't like other kids who took autographs and ran around the field catching balls. The actress also noted that she would highlight key passages in books about autism for her husband, but they couldn't get on the same page.
“I was all alone and I finally said to him, ‘I cannot eggshell my life around you because you’re sad about the kid you got.' This was a big issue. I was ready to leave him," she shared.
"Did I want to do this on my own? No, but he was no help, and then he was in denial, and even people in his family couldn’t even say the word autism. My gangsta mom jacket is on, and I cannot [deal] with you. So I told him, ‘I’m out of here.’”
During her appearance on the Let's Talk Off Camera podcast, Holly Robinson Peete mentioned that the Los Angeles Dodgers employed her son. She proudly talked about how the LA Dodgers praised her son's performance as an employee.
