In a press conference held on Wednesday, marking his first public appearance since assuming the role of Secretary of Health and Human Services under Trump, RFK Jr. made several controversial statements regarding a recent CDC study that reported an increase in autism diagnoses across the nation. His remarks were met with significant backlash online, particularly for their inaccuracies and misrepresentations of autism.

The National Institute of Mental Health defines autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as a complex neurological and developmental condition that impacts an individual’s ability to communicate, interact socially, learn, and exhibit behavioral patterns. This definition emphasizes the diverse experiences and challenges faced by individuals and families living with autism.

In his remarks, Kennedy, who lacks a formal medical degree, erroneously referred to autism as a “disease,” and labeled the rising incidence rates of autism as “alarming” and akin to an “epidemic.” He further suggested that the increase is not due to better recognition or evolving diagnostic criteria, but rather attributed it to “environmental toxins,” a claim that has been widely discredited by experts in the field.

The backlash against Kennedy’s statements primarily centered on the numerous inaccuracies he presented regarding the daily lives of children with autism and the impact of autism on their families. His comments sparked outrage among advocates and parents who understand the realities of living with autism.

“Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are kids who should not be struggling like this,” Kennedy stated. “These are children who will never pay taxes. They’re going to never hold a job. They’re going to never play baseball. They’re going to never write a poem. They’re going to never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a restroom unassisted.”

In the wake of RFK Jr.’s comments going viral, Peete joined numerous voices condemning the HHS Secretary online. The actress, whose son RJ was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, took to social media to share her thoughts, including an impassioned video on Instagram lasting nearly eight minutes. In her video, she addressed several of Kennedy’s claims about autism, labeling his remarks as “triggering,” ignorant, and ultimately “bulls–t.”

“I don’t even know where to begin. I really don’t even know where to start. So much to unpack,” Peete, aged 60, began in her video. “Let’s start here. Okay. I’m not an expert. I’m not a doctor. I’m just someone’s mama and someone who’s been advocating for the autism community, a community that I care deeply about, for 25 years. And I don’t know everything, but I do know this: autism is not a disease. It’s a disorder, a developmental disorder. And it is crucial to get that right if you’re the Secretary of Health and Human Services.”

“So that, off the top, really triggered me. And then came the list of nevers,” she said, referring to RFK Jr.’s unfounded claims about what autistic children would “never” accomplish.

Peete recounted how she had previously stated that when RJ was diagnosed in 2000, the developmental pediatrician presented a long list of “nevers” that RJ would supposedly never achieve, calling it the “never” day.

“She said he would never mainstream in school, have friends, achieve meaningful employment, drive, live independently, never say ‘I love you,’ and never play team sports. I mean, this woman had a long list of things that she said he would never do. And so when the Secretary of Health and Human Services just rattled off another never list, it triggered me in ways I can’t even describe.”

The star of 21 Jump Street shared that her son is now 27 and has “actually checked off and shattered most of those nevers off of that list,” adding, “So when I hear someone like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. say, and describe our children as ‘family destroyers,’ I felt the burden of every parent who has ever had to fight three, four times as hard just to prove their child’s worth. And it just plays into every stereotype and stigma that every person with autism has ever had to fight to overcome.”

“As an advocate, I’ve had to fight against it, as well, and [as] as a mother, because what he is peddling here, it isn’t just ignorance, it’s institutionalized hopelessness,” she continued. “Let me say that again. It’s institutionalized hopelessness from the very office that is supposed to protect public health. We’re getting fear, and shame, and blame, and misinformation. This isn’t okay. Autism didn’t break my family. It made us braver, it made us closer, it made us more compassionate. If anything, I feel my son didn’t rob me of having a typical child; he gave me a new lens of what it means to love unconditionally. A new lens on that.”

“Now, of course, there are different amounts of support that individuals on the autism spectrum are going to need with various tasks in life. And, you know, they’re going to have different levels of needs, but those are things that they can overcome,” she added. “And any official that’s tasked with leading this nation’s health policies should be celebrating the resilience of families that have overcome challenges, not dismissing them and giving us another ‘never’ day.”

The former Talk host emphasized that one of the greatest challenges facing families dealing with autism is access to research, treatment, and support, particularly in Black and Brown communities, where diagnoses often occur much later than in White communities—sometimes two to five years later—resulting in missed critical windows for intervention.

“So we deserve better. We need to be talking about these issues. Our children deserve better. Our families living with autism do not need pity and blame. We need policies,” she continued, before sharing her “call to action” directed at RFK Jr.

“When you’re going to speak for us, learn from us. Walk into a classroom or a nonprofit or a therapy center, or our family’s living room, and talk to autistic adults who are thriving, contributing, and redefining what it means to live fully in a world that doesn’t accept them,” Peete declared. “And listen before you speak, because your words carry weight. And right now, they’re just crushing the very people you’ve been entrusted to protect. Now, I know this administration doesn’t really think highly of words and how they impact people, but this is crucial.”

She also shared a heartfelt message for “every parent, for every educator, for every advocate, every self-advocate listening to this, and especially families who are just receiving the diagnosis today.”

“Please don’t let one man’s ignorance drown out the truth that we live every single day. And don’t ever let anyone define the possibilities for your child,” Peete urged. “Autism is not a family-destroying tragedy, despite the negative way people speak about it; that is the tragedy.”

Regarding her son, Peete proudly shared that he pays his taxes, uses the restroom independently, and has even written her poems. While he may not play baseball himself, he has worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers for ten seasons, humorously adding that they are still “working on” RJ’s love life. “Don’t rush him!”

She concluded her video with a powerful message, punctuating her points with a curse word that she said she had been holding in.

“Look, having autism, having a loved one with autism is not easy. It’s not easy. And it can be very, very hard. But different families have various ways of overcoming it. And what we’re not doing is sitting here and labeling and limiting the potential of our children,” Peete expressed. “You know, I always say I would never change RJ for the world, but I will always try to change the world for RJ. And what we’re not going to do is speak down on autism families and give them no hope.”

“So we gotta do better because that’s some bulls–t that I just heard,” she concluded. “You know, I was dying to curse this whole time… It’s not okay.”

Meanwhile, Peete also posted several messages on X, formerly known as Twitter, where she responded to critics of her backlash against Kennedy.

“What in the Actual F???? I need to chill and collect my thoughts. I’ll be back in a minute,” she wrote in her first post, alongside a clip of RFK Jr.

“My 27-year-old son with autism didn’t ‘destroy our family’ — he gave us purpose and unity… oh, and he pays taxes,” she added in another post.

After an individual responded to her post, writing, “I’m very happy for you. But many don’t. Don’t cheapen the efforts of those fighting for those less fortunate,” Peete called out the critic directly.

“I don’t cheapen anything. I have been advocating for families for years,” she stated. “I just don’t like him using these generalizations – you can rob hope from many families. Institutionalized hopelessness is not helpful. Let’s talk about programs and services to help the families.”

Responding to another tweet that had been deleted, she wrote, “As someone who’s lived through this journey for 25 years you don’t get to tell me what I’m missing,” to which another person made crude comments about a 20-year-old on the spectrum.

The actress clarified that she is an “advocate for a lot of families over the years across the spectrum; it’s not just about my son,” adding that she does not want to “focus on what children may never do… I wish the focus was on research, acceptance, and helping families cope…”

Journalist Jemele Hill expressed her support for Peete on X, which she reposted.

“Thinking of my friend @hollyrpeete who has raised a productive, wonderful autistic son, who’s fearless, gainfully employed and pays taxes,” Hill wrote alongside a clip of RFK Jr. “These were disgusting, irresponsible comments by someone who’s charged with overseeing public health for hundreds of millions of people. He’s not qualified for this.”