Holly Robinson Peete, the mother of a son with autism and a longtime advocate, called out Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s false claims about the disorder.
On Wednesday (April 16), Kennedy, Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services, held a news conference during which he discussed a recent CDC study about the rise of autism diagnoses across the country.
Kennedy falsely referred to autism as a "disease," cited the rising diagnosis rates as "alarming" and an "epidemic," and claimed "environmental toxins" were to blame for the increase.
"Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this," he claimed. “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."
Kennedy received widespread backlash for his comments, including from Peete, whose 27-year-old son, RJ, was diagnosed with autism when he was three.
In several social media posts, Peete called the HHS secretary's claims about autism "triggering," ignorant, and "bulls**t."
"I don't even know where to start. I really don't even know where to begin. So much to unpack," Peete said in a video. "Let's start here. Okay. I am not an expert. I'm not a doctor. I'm just somebody's mama and someone who's been advocating for the autism community, a community that I care deeply...
By Matthew Knott and Nick Bonyhady April 19, 2025 — 5.54pm , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any tim...