John Travolta made his first public statement acknowledging Jett had autism.
Travolta told the jury in the Bahamas extortion case that Jett was autistic and suffered seizures every 5 to 10 days. Travolta said, "He was autistic. He suffered from a seizure disorder."
Travolta testified the seizures would last 45 seconds to a minute.
1. Peace to you John.
Posted at 12:41PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by good for you
2. uh, how heartwrenching that he has to speak about this, it's got to be just ripping his heart apart, I hope a quick outcome is reached in this case and he and his family can try and put their grief behind them, or at least try to move forward while coping the best they can
Posted at 12:43PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by hockeygrl
3. Yikes!
Posted at 12:45PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by mrez golucky
4. Too little too late! It was obvious that Jett was Autistic and the Travolta's denied, denied denied! Not only could they have done more for their son but they could have done so much more for the cause of autism by putting their faces and influence to it! Sad when religion prevents honesty and quite sad that their chosen religion refers to those who have autism as compromised human beings. I feel the compromised human beings are those who compromise their morals and integrity for religion in a clearly negative fashion! I have no respect for the Travolta's!
Posted at 2:24PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by Sandra Jordan
5. Why is this breaking news? This has to be a very tough time for Travolta. Why are you exploiting a father's emotional pain? TMZ is really disappointing lately.
Posted at 12:49PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by And...?
6. On one side of the coin you gotta feel bad for the guy...nobody deserves to out live their child, and then be a part of an extortion plot. On the flip side John Travolta could have been doing a lot for families learning how to nuture autistic children. I find it sad that this is the first time he has stated something that has been incredibly obvious just by looking at the boy.
Posted at 12:51PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by jenna Ryan
7. Something we all already knew.....so why did he and Kelly keep insisting that Jett suffered from Kawasaki disease? Because Scientology does not recognize autism as a physical ailment. No wonder so many in the autism community were upset with the Travoltas for not acknowledging their son's REAL problem and helping to bring awareness to the disease. I'll bet poor Jett was not even being properly treated because I'm sure they only go to "Scientology approved" physicians.
Posted at 12:55PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by Sandbox
8. I agree with 7. Why did they not acknowledge their son was autistic? By sharing their trials and tribulations with raising a son with autisim, they could have helped other families like Jenny McCarty does.
Posted at 12:59PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by JoDale
9. It was a great idea to extort money out of Travolta over his deceased child's autism/seizure disorder. I & Satan really admire that!
Posted at 12:58PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by ugly on the inside
10. The Travolta family has the right as the parents to care for their son in a manner which the wanted. Personally, I think Scientology is a scam for schumcks but its still a free country.
Posted at 1:09PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by susanne
11. Autism is a reality. I am really sad that it took a court case for John to admit that Jett had Autism. He never admitted it when he was alive. It says a lot about one's character in the Scientology community. Which is exactly Scientology is a cult and NOT a religion. Creepy and I am sorry that John has been brainwashed. I send nothing but good thoughts for healing and closure for the Travolta family
Posted at 1:00PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by Healing
12. wow...just wow...i had commented a couple of hours ago about them hiding the fact that their son had autism. i hope they become advocates now and stand up for this cause. we could use the help.
Posted at 1:02PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by Patrick
13. People hve different ways of dealing with certain diseases or conditions, We should not judge the Travoltas for doing what they felt was best for their family. Maybe being outspoken about autisum was not how they wished to approach Jett's situation. Perhaps in time., an Autistic Foundation in Jett's name or something like that may help them with the grieving process.
Posted at 1:03PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by Pat
14. Back to me ... Mo Money.. Mo Money.. MO MONEY !!! ... Ker Ching
Posted at 1:06PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by La Toya Jackson
15. It's "honorable" that many stars choose to make their child's autism public in an effort to bring an awareness of the disease to the public but if the Travolta's chose to keep Jett's private, I hardly think they can be faulted for that. They seem like very private people to me. Maybe they believe exposing their child's diagnosis should have been up to Jett when he became an adult. Who's to say all these celebrity kid's who have been given no choice in the exposure they have received won't resent it one day? Just another point of view!
Posted at 1:06PM on Sep 23rd 2009 by janalal4
