While making a point about the importance of getting vaccinated to protect immunocompromised people from COVID-19, CNN anchor John King on Tuesday revealed that he has multiple sclerosis.
King shared his diagnosis live on CNN's Inside Politics during a discussion about former Secretary of State Colin Powell's death this week from COVID-19 complications. Powell was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but was immunocompromised.
"I'm going to share a secret I've never spoken before: I'm immunocompromised," King revealed. "I have multiple sclerosis. So I'm grateful you're all vaccinated. I'm grateful my employer says all these amazing people who work on the floor, who came in here for the last 18 months when we were doing this, were vaccinated."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Though news of Powell's death at 84 was seized on by some to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, The Washington Post noted that the former secretary of state, who had been battling cancer and suffered from Parkinson's disease, "fit perfectly into a demographic that remains vulnerable to infections despite vaccination."
After explaining that he's grateful to those who are vaccinated, King added, "I don't like the government telling me what to do. I don't like my boss telling me what to do. In this case, it's important."
Politico's Heather Caygle, a guest on King's show Tuesday, applauded the CNN anchor as "incredibly brave," while Inside Politics producer Kristin Donnelly thanked him for "sharing very personal news that shines a light on why it's important to follow science."
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spinsSpeed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’
-
Trump renews push to fire Cook before Fed meetingSpeed Read The push to remove Cook has ‘quickly become the defining battle in Trump’s effort to take control of the Fed’
-
September 15 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday’s political cartoons include publisher advice for Kamala Harris, the radicalization pipeline, and flu season guidelines
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
