‘The never day all over again’: Holly Robinson Peete blasts RFK Jr.’s autism comments

The actress recalled doctors predicting what her autistic son would never accomplish, even as he has gone on to build an independent life.

Holly Robinson Peete recently said that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2025 remarks about autistic children took her back to the day her family learned of her son’s diagnosis.

Speaking at her foundation’s November 7 gala in Los Angeles, the actress explained why she challenged the health secretary. She has previously celebrated her son RJ’s progress and discussed the family’s early struggles after his diagnosis.

“We’ve made so many strides in the autism community and just really normalizing diversity and neurodiversity. And then here comes a guy in the ‘health and human services’ to tell us all the things our kids will never do, the ‘never’ day all over again for us,” said Robinson Peete.

Peete told Us Weekly at the HollyRod Foundation’s DesignCare gala that years of progress toward greater acceptance of neurodiversity made Kennedy’s comments hard to hear. His remarks brought back “the ‘never’ day all over again for us,” she said, referring to the limits doctors once predicted for her son.

At an April 16, 2025, news conference, Kennedy said autism “destroys families” and suggested that many autistic children would never hold jobs, pay taxes or go on dates. His portrayal drew criticism from autistic people, their families and medical experts for overlooking the range of abilities and support needs among autistic people.

Peete and her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, received RJ’s autism diagnosis in 2000, when he was three. She has recalled a doctor listing things he supposedly would never do, including speaking, finding meaningful employment and living independently.

RJ has since worked as a clubhouse attendant for the Los Angeles Dodgers and moved into his own apartment. His mother shared the housing milestone in 2025, saying he had found a place closer to work.

At Saturday’s gala, Holly Robinson Peete described herself as “a bit of a gangster mom” when discussing her commitment to supporting autistic people and their families. She also remembered having nobody to turn to for guidance after RJ’s diagnosis.

The Peetes founded HollyRod in 1997 to support people affected by Parkinson’s disease, later extending its work to autism. Peete has also spoken about barriers Black and brown families face when seeking diagnoses and services for their children.

The November 7 fundraiser honored Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson, among others. Peete said the foundation aims to offer other families the guidance and encouragement she wished she had when RJ was diagnosed.