Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., conducts a news conference on April 16, 2025. Photo:

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

• Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing backlash for comments about autism made at a press conference on April 16
• In his remarks, RFK Jr. said that children diagnosed with autism are “suffering,” claiming they will never work, find love, write a poem, play baseball, and many will never “use a toilet unassisted.” 
• Celebrity parents of children with autism, like Rosie O’Donnell and Holly Robinson Peete, have spoken out against the claims.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has come under fire for remarks made during his first press conference since being appointed to the role by President Donald Trump.

Responding to a new study by the CDC that found 3% of children in the U.S. have autism, Kennedy said the rise in diagnoses constitutes an “epidemic” and vowed to identify the “environmental causes” responsible for the disorder.

Kennedy, who has previosuly promoted a scientifically debunked claim that autism is caused by vaccines, denied that the uptick in diagnoses can be explained by experts learning more about the disorder.

“One of the things that I think that we need to move away from today is this ideology that…the autism prevalence increase, the relentless increases, are simply artifacts of better diagnoses, better recognition or changing diagnostic criteria,” he said. “This epidemic denial has become a feature in mainstream media.”

Kennedy is also facing backlash for the stark, yet demonstrably false, claims he made about life for children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. 

“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 said. “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.” 

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference on April 16, 2025. Alex Wong/Getty

As part of the press conference, Kennedy also announced that HHS is preparing to launch new studies to “identify precisely what the environmental toxins are that are causing [autism].”

On April 15, following the CDC report, Kennedy said in a statement that the HHS hopes to have “answers” by September. However, many experts say that’snot enough time, especially considering autism research has been prioritized by medical and scientific communities for the last several decades.

“We may have hundreds, if not thousands, of different neurogenetic factors that in combination with complicated environmental interactions influence presentations of autism,” Zachary Warren, a pediatric psychiatrist and autism researcher at Vanderbilt University, told NPR.

“As a clinician, I wish I had better — and, quite frankly, simpler — answers for my families,” he added. “But autism isn’t a single thing; it is a word we use in an attempt to capture a spectrum of behavioral strengths, differences, and vulnerabilities in order to help optimally support children.”

Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder, as well as parents with children on the spectrum, spoke out following Kennedy’s press conference to condemn his statements. Celebrity parents of autistic children, like Rosie O’Donnell and Holly Robinson Peete, also expressed their disgust.

“Robert Kennedy u should be ashamed of urself,” O’Donnell wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo with her 12-year-old child, Clay, who is autistic.

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Peete also took to social media to speak out in support of her 27-year-old son, RJ, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and now works as a clubhouse attendant for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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

“I advocate for hundreds of fams over the years all across the spectrum it’s not just about my son,” she added in response to one commenter who pushed back on RJ’s high-functioning abilities. “But I don’t like the focus on what kids may Never do…I wish the focus was on diagnosis, acceptance and helping families cope.”