17 Hollywood celebrities who leveraged their stardom to promote anti-vaccine disinformation

Robert DeNiro. Credit: Getty Images
Robert DeNiro. Credit: Getty Images

While few of these individuals identify as anti-vaccine, they have either come out as not having vaccinated their children, are critical of mandatory vaccination or have endorsed such views, or have made dangerous and unproven claims about vaccines in general.

…

Alicia Silverstone: In her 2014 book… the Clueless actress (who has previously suggested that tampons cause infertility and that veganism can reduce the risk of miscarriage) was highly critical of vaccination, saying “there has not been a conclusive study of the negative effects of such a rigorous one-size-fits-all, shoot-’em-up schedule.”

…

Rob Schneider: The former SNL and Deuce Bigalow star has made numerous public statements lobbying against mandatory vaccination. In 2012, he cited the widely debunked belief that vaccines are linked to autism in his opposition to a California bill requiring parents get a signature from a physician to opt out of their child receiving vaccinations.

Mis- and disinformation are distorting science and public policy. Subscribe to our Daily and Weekly Digests for incisive coverage of ‘disruptive’ innovations in AI, agricultural biotechnology, food, chemicals, nuclear energy, vaccines, and other disruptive innovations.

Robert DeNiro: This one’s a heartbreaker: in 2017, the legendary actor (who has also publicly questioned whether vaccines are linked to autism and promoted the anti-vaccine film Vaxxed) partnered with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in a press conference for the World Mercury Project (now the Children’s Health Defense), a nonprofit organization known for its anti-vaccine stance. 

Read the original post

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

ChatGPT-Image-Mar-10-2026-01_39_01-PM
Viewpoint—“Miracle molecule” debunked: Why acemannan supplements don’t work
Diet Soda with Measuring Tape 2
Science challenges anti-soda activists: No, sodas won’t make you fat
Strawberry Clamshell with Warning Sticker
Viewpoint: Activists hype ‘dangerous level’ of pesticide residues in Driscoll berries: Separating health concerns from fear-mongering
psychedelics ptsd neurosciencnews public
Chaos or at peace with the world: The complex ways psychedelics transform the brain
Rustic Skillet of Raw Brains
‘Weird food’? Testicle- and brain-eating, supplement-gulping MAHA health food enthusiasts defend their ‘natural’ diets
Silhouettes Beneath the Mosquito Nets
Guinea-Bissau halts widely condemned RFK Jr.-backed vaccine trial that would have withheld life-saving vaccines from thousands of newborns
Screenshot 2026-10-16 at 5.38
PFAS in Agriculture: Science, Uncertainty, and Risk Communication
Justice Under Prideful Skies
Supreme Court blocks Trump’s order halting transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for inmates
png_cheese_Raw_milk
100% raw milk, 100% misguided: As MAHA-fueled demand for unpasteurized milk soars, American Academy of Pediatrics renews call for a ban on its sale and distribution
Government Briefing on Autism Trends
Viewpoint: ‘Statistical murder’: Kennedy’s expanding record of “duplicity and mendacity”
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.