Actress Holly Robinson Peete has appeared on many Hallmark movies recently so it’s not a surprise that she’s partnered with the network for her new family reality TV show Meet the Peetes. Holly, her mother/momager Dolores, Holly’s retired NFL football player husband Rodney Peete and their four children – daughter Ryan, and sons Rodney, Jr. (RJ), Robinson, son Roman — are the stars. Ryan and Rodney, Jr are 20-year-old twins. In the premiere episode of Meet the Peetes, Holly and Rodney plan a big birthday party for the twins but getting everyone together in one place proves to be tricky.
RJ was diagnosed with autism at age 3. In 2008, Robinson Peete told Essence magazine that the diagnosis was “the most devastating moment” of her life. She gave her husband and mother, who at first resisted the diagnosis, an ultimatum. “I was going to leave my husband and divorce my mom,” she said. They got on board. Robinson Peete said, “We were told to prepare for everything he would never do. Now at 20 he does a lot.” See photo below of RJ. He’s wearing a t-shirt that reads: “I got 99 problems but my autism ain’t one!” He can thank his mother for that! RJ currently works in the clubhouse of the Los Angeles Dodgers and is a mentor at the Speech and Language Therapy Center in L.A., which he attended as a young child. Another favorite mantra of RJ’s is: “I may have autism, but autism doesn’t have me.” Meet the Peetes airs Sundays at 10pm on Hallmark, right after When Calls the Heart.
Meet RJ Peete!!
He loves aquariums, baseball & trampolines!
His journey is so inspiring. When he was diagnosed w/ #autism at 3 we were told to prepare for everything he would NEVER do?
Now 20 he does A LOT??
#MeetThePeetes premieres Sunday Feb 18 10/9c on @hallmarkchannel ? pic.twitter.com/xUkKRBN891— Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) February 11, 2018
