Holly Robinson Peete Says Husband Rodney's Reaction to Their Son's Autism Diagnosis Almost Ended Their Marriage: 'I Was Ready to Leave'
The actress says that her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete 'was on Denial Street' after son RJ's diagnosis at age 3
Holly Robinson Peete says she almost ended her marriage to former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete over his reaction to their son RJâs autism diagnosis.
RJ, now 25, was diagnosed with autism at age 3 â and has a neurotypical twin sister, Ryan, and two younger brothers, Robinson Peete, 21, and Roman, 18.
On a recent episode of Kelly Ripa's podcast, Letâs Talk Off Camera, Peete, 59, told the talk show host that "Rodney was on Denial Street" when RJ was originally diagnosed. At the time, she says they were given "a laundry list of things he would never do.â
âHe will never mainstream in school. Heâll never say, âI love you.â Heâll never have meaningful employment. Heâll never drive,â she said.
Peete says that the diagnosis was tough for her football-star husband to process. âRJâs supposed to be the Heisman Trophy winner," she told Ripa, "and instead [Rodney] got the kid who comes to the locker room and runs around and twirls and flaps and stims.â
According to Verywell Health, âstimmingâ is a term for âself-stimulatory behaviors that involve repetitive movements or sounds,â such as flapping the hands or rocking back and forth.
Related: Holly Madison Talks Being Diagnosed with Autism: 'I'm Just Not on the Same Social Wavelength'
And while RJ was in the locker room, Peete explained that âall the other kids are getting autographs and running around the field and catching balls.â
â[Rodney] could not process this,â says Peete, who cohosts the Peacock dating show Queens Court with her husband. She said she would highlight key passages in books about autism for Rodney, but ultimately, âwe were not on the same page. We werenât even in the same state or country.â
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âI was all alone," continued Peete, "and I finally said to him, âI cannot eggshell my life around you because youâre sad about the kid you got.ââ
âThis was a big issue. I was ready to leave him. Did I want to do this on my own? No, but he was no help, and then he was in denial, and even people in his family couldnât even say the word autism.â
âMy gangsta mom jacket is on, and I cannot [deal] with you. So I told him, âIâm out of here.ââ
What finally changed things for Rodney, said Peete, was a âfloor timeâ session where RJ was able to make a connection with his therapistâand not his father. âIt was through sheer embarrassment that [Rodney] turned it around," said the former Masked Singer contestant.
âHe was like, 'Thereâs no way in the world some strangerâs going to connect with my kid but I wonât.' And that really was what turned him around and heâs been on board ever since.â
Related: Sia Reveals She Is on the Autism Spectrum
And RJ has continued to make progress. Even though his parents were told he would never work, he has been employed by Los Angeles Dodgers for more than eight years. "The fact that they employed my son, they hired inclusively, a young man with autism that they gave a chance⊠It's been a godsend," Peete told PEOPLE.
She also told Ripa that the team genuinely appreciates everything RJ does for them, and how they tell her: "You don't understand what he brings to our clubhouse. He's the best hugger. He knows everything about each one of us because he's got that brain. He knows when we are drafting, he knows our birthdays, he knows our wives' birthdays. You know how superstitious baseball is? He knows what I need on my jersey."
"He's just an amazing employee over there," added Peete with pride.
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