‘Love On The Spectrum’ Star Criticizes RFK’s ‘Offensive’ Comments About Autism
James B. Jones has spoken out following RFK's controversial comments about people with autism.
Design: YourTango | Photos: James B. Jones Instagram, lev radin from Shutterstock Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has sparked outrage with recent comments about autism. Now, one of the stars of Netflix's "Love on the Spectrum" has spoken out to set him straight and speak from experience about how wrong he is about the condition and the people who have it.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made controversial claims about the causes of autism and said those who have it cannot integrate into society.
RFK Jr. has stirred controversy for decades with his contentious views on health and the field of medicine, but his recent comments about autism seem to constitute something of a new low. After reports that autism diagnoses have again increased in recent years, Kennedy vowed to uncover the "environmental" causes of the condition.
Kennedy attributed the supposed rise of autism to everything from vaccines to obesity, claims for which there is no evidence, and dismissed "better diagnoses" as the cause for the higher rates of… diagnoses. He went on to claim that "the media" is helping to cover up environmental causes and suggested that the effort is part of a plot to cover up wider environmental abuses, which many have pointed out seems to be incongruous with the current Administration's views on environmental preservation.
But none of that conjecture could prepare many for his recent claims about people with autism themselves. "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," Kennedy said. "Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted."
Kennedy later clarified he was only talking about people with "severe autism," but that didn't exactly make his rhetoric any more palatable. People with severe autism are still people who deserve dignity and support, not being spoken of as a drag on society.
One of many pieces of proof of the problematic nature of Kennedy's comments is the response of one of the stars of Netflix's literal dating show about autistic people who will apparently "never go out on a date." James B. Jones offered a pointed response to Kennedy's inexcusable comments.
'Love on the Spectrum' star James B. Jones called Kennedy's autism comments 'ignorant' and 'offensive.'
"Recently, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made several remarks about people who have autism or similar neurological conditions that I found to be extremely ignorant and, to be pretty frank, downright offensive," Jones said in a video on the matter.
“I do not at all appreciate Mr. Kennedy speaking of autism or similar forms of neurodiversity in such a negative manner because society has made such great progress in the last 20 to 30 years,” Jones went on to say. “We certainly do not wish to lose that progress that we have made. We do not wish to step backward.”
Jones then dug into the more subtle context of Kennedy's comments, saying he " implied that autism is a plague upon society" and referencing his use of words like "epidemic" that readily play on fears about the pandemic.
"He commented on how more people are being diagnosed with autism in recent years compared to decades past,” Jones went on to say. “That is because society now has a greater understanding of autism. People who have autism are now not afraid, or less afraid, to hide it.”
Jones then held himself up as an example of how uninformed Kennedy's comments were.
Kennedy's timing is downright bizarre, as the current season of "Love on the Spectrum" is a runaway hit and the show's content centers on exactly the kind of lifestyle and activities of which Kennedy claims people with autism are incapable. Its cast members hold jobs — which means they're paying taxes, so rest easy, Mr. Kennedy — and, as the show's name suggests, they date.
Jones spoke of his own life as evidence, in particular, how special education programs allowed him to achieve what he has. “Being in a special education program helped me develop and grow into the person I am today, and I am very grateful for that,” he said in his video. “If I did not have access to such education, who knows where I might be. I very likely would not be where I am today.”
Those special education programs are handled by the Department of Education, which Trump has plans to dismantle. He has committed to leaving special education programs intact, but has provided no details of how he plans to do so while cutting the funding that supports them.
"I am now a 37-year-old grown adult. I drive… I have a permanent 40-hour-per-week job with benefits, which I have held steadily since 2017. And I am responsible for all of my own expenses," Jones went on to say. "I am a fully functional, productive member of society," he continued. "And yes, I have autism. I am neurodiverse, but I have proven that I absolutely, 100% can function like a normal member of society without any question."
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
