Twenty years have passed since Jenny McCarthy became a household name as the original “anti-vaxxer”—a label she has always rejected.
Her journey from an actress to a figurehead of autism advocacy began when her 2½-year-old son was diagnosed with the condition after receiving the MMR vaccine. At the time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) stated position was unequivocal: The vaccine did not cause autism.
Fast forward to November 2025 and discussion about autism is mainstream; propelled by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pledge to determine the cause of the condition, which now impacts 1 in 31 children in the United States, according to the CDC….