Sad Details About Hallmark Star Holly Robinson Peete

Holly Robinson Peete has a lot going for her. As the daughter of "Sesame Street" actor Matt Robinson and Hollywood agent Dolores Robinson, Holly had a privileged upbringing for which she's grateful. "I mostly remember really really good times, block parties, great neighbors, tasty[k]akes, cookouts, my cousin Kelly, our pet dog, cat, snake and hamster," she captioned an Instagram post about her childhood. Her adult life, on the other hand, was filled with a lot more obstacles.

In her youth, Holly watched as her father suffered from Parkinson's at a time when little was known about the degenerative disease. She witnessed his struggle for two decades until he died at age 65. Then Holly's brother was also diagnosed giving the family another stroke of bad luck. However, she drew from Matt Robinson III's positivity to become an advocate, turning her anger and grief into a force for good. Unfortunately, Parkinson's wasn't the only neurological disorder to hit her family.

Holly's oldest son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was a toddler in the early aughts, a diagnosis that turned her life upside-down and nearly ended her marriage to former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete. But after they came to terms with the condition and learned more about it, the Peetes got on the same page again and did what they did with Parkinson's — became activists. She endured all that while also facing racism at work. But through it all, Holly has used her voice to fight for her beliefs and important causes.

Holly Robinson Peete lost her father in 2002, 20 years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. But that wasn't the only time the disorder that affects the nervous system struck the Robinson family. After Matt Robinson's death, his son Matt Robinson III (both seen above), received the same news. The elder Robinson, known for portraying the original Gordon on "Sesame Street," was 45 when his life was turned upside-down. Robinson III has the same kind his dad had, early onset Parkinson's.

The journey has been hard on the family, who watched their beloved father live through it only to relive it later again. "Dear Mr. Parkinson's: I really don't care for you at all. Actually, I can't stand your a**! Our family has been dealing [with] #ParkinsonsDisease since the mid 80s," Holly tweeted in March 2024. What helps Peete get through her anger is her brother's attitude. Robinson III is determined to live a full life, doing what he can to keep it at bay. "I can't see this taking me down," he said on "For Peete's Sake" in 2022.

He manages the symptoms by staying active and on top of medication. "Some of the medicines they have right now really make you feel, sometimes, that you don't have the disease at all," he said. In 1997, Holly and Rodney Peete founded the HollyRod Foundation to raise awareness for the disease and provide support for patients and families. 

When Holly Robinson Peete plunged into motherhood by welcoming twins in October 1997, she had no idea what journey she would be embarking on. Early on, she noticed her son, RJ, developed differently from his sister, Ryan. "I started noticing that RJ, my son, was not playing alongside his sister right," she told PopSugar in 2023. He seemed to prefer being alone, lining up his "Thomas the Tank Engine" trains, staring at wheels, and repeatedly turning lights on and off.

Holly noticed the behavior but didn't know what to make of it. "There were lots of signs, but I was just a rookie mom, so I didn't know," she said. Even though she sensed something might be off, she was still unprepared to hear he had autism spectrum disorder. "We had a moment of severe sadness," she recalled on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" in 2016. She was paralyzed as the doctor listed the things RJ wouldn't do. But in due time, Holly embraced RJ for who he was.

With the help of resources and therapies, RJ proved doctors wrong. He went on to have a successful career, snagging a job with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015. Peete couldn't be more grateful. "The fact that they employed my son, they hired inclusively, a young man with autism that they gave a chance and he's been here eight years. It's been a godsend," she told People in 2023.

Holly Robinson Peete had a strong reaction to RJ's diagnosis, but it paled in comparison to how Rodney Peete took it. "RJ's supposed to be the Heisman Trophy winner, and instead [Rodney] got the kid who comes to the locker room and runs around and twirls and flaps and stims," she said on "Let's Talk Off Camera" in 2023. 

As her husband continued to wallow in his misery over not getting the son he had envisioned, Holly's patience grew thin. "My gangsta mom jacket is on, and I cannot with you," she told Ripa. Holly felt alone in her mission to advocate for their son, while Rodney hid behind his work. "I was ready to leave him," she said. He realized he had to change his attitude when he noticed RJ making a connection with his therapist but not with him. "He was like, 'There's no way in the world some stranger's going to connect with my kid but I won't'," she recalled.

Since then, Holly and Rodney have been advocating for autism patients and their families through the HollyRod Foundation. Their marriage continued to thrive, thanks partly to their dedication not only to their family but to each other. "The rule is you have to give each other a hug for 20 full seconds when one or the other asks for it no matter what you're feeling in that moment," she told First for Women in 2021.

Showbiz can be a brutal industry all around but arguably more so for minorities. That was Holly Robinson Peete's experience anyway. Throughout her career, she has accused high-profile figures of using racist insults against her. Among those is Sharon Osbourne, and Peete minced no words about it. In 2021, Peete suggested her firing from "The Talk" was motivated by her former co-host's racism. "I'm old enough to remember when Sharon complained that I was too 'ghetto' for #theTalk... then I was gone," she tweeted. Osbourne denied Peete's accusations. "Never in my life did I utter the words that Holly was 'too ghetto' to be on the 'Talk,' as well as not having her fired," she wrote in response in a since-deleted tweet (via People). 

But that wasn't the only time Peete said her race came up in her career. During her run in "The Celebrity Apprentice 3," Donald Trump reportedly used a slur as he and producers discussed whether she or Bret Michaels should win. "Shortly after the finale, rumors started coming around that he had tossed out an 'N-word' referring to me," she said on "The Karen Hunter Show" in 2020.

The show's producer then confirmed to her that Trump had in fact used the slur, she said. It turns out that the producers wanted her to win, but Trump was adamant about giving it to Michaels. In hindsight, she isn't surprised. "How could anybody believe that he wouldn't say something like that?" she said. 

Actor Louis Gossett Jr.'s death in March 2024 was hard on every movie fan, but it was personal for Holly Robinson Peete. She was about to give her keynote speech at a YMCA event when she learned of the legendary actor's death. She had to put her notes aside to honor the "An Officer and a Gentleman" star. "I just found out on the way down this morning, on the elevator, that I lost an amazing, beautiful friend," she said in the speech she shared on Instagram. The audience audibly gasped at the news.

Gossett was a close family friend of the Robinsons and had a particularly close relationship with Peete's mother, Dolores. In a 2016 episode of "For Peete's Sake," Dolores and Gossett showed their tight bond during a lunch date (seen above) when they caught up on what they had been up to in their older age and reminisced about their good old days together. "He and I, we were the only two Black people who lived in Malibu," she explained. Their friendship extended to their families as well.

Peete met him when she was 12 years old and quickly developed a relationship with his family. "Without a doubt one of the nicest most gracious talented funny and kind people I've ever had the pleasure to know. I used to babysit for his son when I was a teenager. A world without Lou doesn't make sense," she captioned her post.