Rosie O'donnell Demands Rfk Jr Resign Over Comments About Autistic Children

Rosie O'Donnell lashed retired astatine Robert F. Kennedy Jr. connected Tuesday for his caller comments astir autistic children destroying their families, saying he should beryllium fired aliases resign arsenic caput of Health and Human Services.

"I deliberation it's very disrespectful," she told CNN. "I deliberation it's disgraceful, and I deliberation he is wholly unqualified to beryllium nan caput of Health and Human Services. I deliberation astir of nan furniture picks that Donald Trump has made are portion of his imagination of a reality show government, and not nan astir qualified group available, particularly Robert Kennedy. 

"And to deliberation that his family is nan 1 that created nan Special Olympics, and he would spell connected pinch specified disgraceful, dehumanizing remarks, is perfectly deplorable. And I consciousness he should resign aliases beryllium released from his position."

Kennedy's remarks past week sparked backlash among immoderate autistic individuals and their families, owed to what they deemed his accusation that they were each hopeless burdens. Kennedy said "autism destroys families, and much importantly, it destroys our top resource, which is our children."

ROSIE O'DONNELL NEVER THOUGHT TRUMP WOULD WIN AGAIN, ADMITS IRISH CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION NOT APPROVED YET

Rosie O'Donnell appears connected CNN connected April 22, 2025. (CNN / Screenshot)

While Kennedy said he was referring to terrible cases, he drew criticism for saying they were kids who would ne'er do mean things for illustration usage nan bath unassisted, clasp down a occupation aliases salary taxes. Kennedy has directed nan HHS to analyse nan emergence successful autism rates and claimed nan agency will person discovered a origin for nan "epidemic" by September.

Kennedy's information for HHS Secretary was highly arguable owed to his past activity trying to nexus vaccinations to autism; astir aesculapian experts person many times refuted specified theories arsenic unsubstantiated and based successful portion connected flawed studies for illustration nan retracted Andrew Wakefield investigation astir nan MMR vaccine successful 1998. Most investigation points to a familial origin for nan disorder, which presents itself successful individuals connected a wide spectrum.

Kennedy has claimed he is not anti-vaccine, though he has made repeated remarks questioning their efficacy and broadside effects passim his life. While autism experts declare that nan emergence successful cases stems from greater consciousness and improved diagnostic testing, Kennedy attributed nan emergence successful cases to biology factors while speaking past week.

"This is coming from an biology toxin, and personification made a profit by putting that biology toxin into our air, our water, our medicines, our food," Kennedy said. "And it's to their use to opportunity ‘Oh, to normalize it, to opportunity each this is each normal, it's ever been here.’ That's not bully for our country."

ROSIE O’DONNELL APOLOGIZES TO IRISH PRIME MINISTER AFTER WHITE HOUSE VISIT OVERSHADOWED BY EXODUS SAGA

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news convention astatine nan Department of Health and Human Services connected April 16, 2025, successful Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

O'Donnell has a non-binary, autistic kid named Clay, and she referred to Clay pinch "they" pronouns during nan interview, saying "they were really regressing into themselves" astatine a young property earlier a therapy canine helped nan situation.

O'Donnell, who currently resides successful Ireland, added it's been "heartbreaking" to spot nan state diminution successful her position nether President Donald Trump's leadership. She said she had nary regrets astir fleeing for Ireland aft his election. The 2 person had a decades-long feud stretching backmost to her clip hosting "The View" successful nan 2000s.

"I knew aft reference Project 2025 that if Trump sewage in, it was clip for maine and my non-binary kid to time off nan country," she said connected Tuesday. "I made nan determination wrong my family and my therapist… And past erstwhile he did [win], we made nan scheme into action and we were gone earlier he was inaugurated."

Fox News Digital contacted nan HHS for remark but did not instantly person a response.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital's Diana Stancy contributed to this report.