Rodney Peete
2014 ACTivist Honoree
Father, a Son, and One Familyʼs Journey with Autism. The story, based on the Peete familyʼs experience raising a child with autism, is published by Hyperion and is currently receiving wide acclaim. Through Not My Boy!, Peete is giving a voice to an often unheard journey: the father. Influencers from across the country have acknowledged Rodneyʼs brave story of a father coming to terms with his childʼs autism diagnosis while simultaneously fighting to keep his family intact.
“I wish I had something fancy to say, but this story is simply beyond words—just read it! I vote to make Rodneyʼs book, Not My Boy!, required reading for every first-time, secondtime, or any-other-time father.” –Will Smith, Actor/Producer.
Following his NFL career, Peete went on to become a co-host on Fox Sportsʼ The Best Damn Sports Show Period. In 2008, he and wife, actress Holly Robinson Peete, hosted Meet the Peetes on XM Radioʼs Oprah Radio. Meet the Peetes focused on the life of two working parents raising their four children, balancing their careers and being activists and advocates on issues that affected them and their family. Peete is president of HollyRod Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based entertainment and investment firm. Additionally, he is a co-founder of the HollyRod Foundation, an organization established to generate funds to fight Parkinsonʼs Disease, support children suffering from autism, and improve the quality of life for those in need.
Peete also serves on the Board of Governors at his alma mater, USC, from where he holds a B.A. and was First Team All-American and 1988 Player of the Year. Peete and Robinson Peete have been married for 17 years and are the proud parents of four children. The family resides in Los Angeles.