Holly Robinson Peete: I'm "Relieved" The Travoltas Got Closure

Ten months after son Jett’s death, John Travolta and Kelly Preston admitted that their 16-year-old had autism. Holly Robinson Peete, whose 12-year-old son, Rodney Jr., also has autism, tells Life & Style that she wishes the A-list couple had spoken sooner.

Were there times I said to myself, Ooh, if somebody that A-list comes out, what could he do for the movement?" Holly says, “I don’t blame the Travoltas for not talking about it. I would never tell someone what to say about their kid."

Holly and her husband, former NFL star Rodney Peete, founded the HollyRod Foundation, which raises money for families living with autism and similar conditions. She says it was a family decision to go public with Rod Jr.’s condition, and she hopes John and Kelly can find solace in doing the same. “The fact that posthumously he had to say that on the stand, I wasn’t glad about it,” she says. “But I was relieved he was able to have closure.”