‘Love on the Spectrum’ Stars Fire Back at RFK Jr. Over Autism Comments: “We Don’t Need to Be Fixed”

The stars of Love on the Spectrum are calling out Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for what they say are deeply offensive and inaccurate comments about autistic people — and they’re not mincing words.

In a recent interview with NewsNation, Dani Bowman, one of the breakout stars of the Netflix reality series, directly addressed Kennedy’s controversial claims. The presidential candidate recently stated that autistic individuals “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 on a date.”

Bowman, who holds a master’s degree, has a career, and has experienced dating, didn’t hold back. “Autistic people have the same hopes, dreams, and yes, the same awkward dating moments as anyone else,” she said. “To generalize and say none of us can work, date or contribute to society is completely false.”

“I have a job. I do pay taxes. I’ve dated. I have a master’s degree,” she added, dismantling Kennedy’s narrative point by point.

But Bowman’s most powerful message came when she addressed the notion of “curing” autism:
“Wanting to cure autism implies that our way of being is wrong — and it isn’t. We don’t need to be fixed. We need to be supported. The answer isn’t erasing autism, it’s building a more inclusive world for all of us.”

James B. Jones, another fan-favorite from the series, voiced his anger on TikTok, calling Kennedy’s words “extremely ignorant” and “downright offensive.”

“I’m old enough to remember a time when society didn’t understand autism or neurodiversity,” Jones said. “So I’m very displeased — very disheartened — to hear someone still speaking this way.”

Jones explained how access to special education was vital to his development and success, and that Kennedy’s comments reflect a harmful, outdated view of what autistic individuals are capable of.

RFK Jr., who has long trafficked in debunked medical claims and controversial rhetoric around vaccines and autism, has faced criticism from across the political and social spectrum. But this pushback is especially personal — coming from autistic individuals themselves, who are living proof that Kennedy’s assumptions are not only offensive, but flat-out wrong.