CNN anchor John King shared for the first time on Tuesday that he suffers from multiple sclerosis, expressing gratitude that his colleagues are vaccinated against COVID-19 as he’s immunocompromised.
Prior to publicly revealing that he’s been diagnosed with MS, an incurable and potentially disabling disease that affects the central nervous system, King brought up right-wing media figures using Colin Powell’s death from COVID-19 to cast doubt on the efficacy of the vaccines. (Powell, while fully vaccinated, was 84 years old and suffered from multiple myeloma—a blood cancer impacting the immune system—and other co-morbidities.)
Defending both employer and government vaccine mandates, which Fox News commentators and hosts have loudly railed against, King said that “what makes America exceptional is when we all decide to set down our personal principles or our personal preferences for the good of the team.”
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With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying the unvaccinated are 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than vaccinated patients, King got personal on why he believes everyone should get their shots.
“It’s a shared responsibility. If I can do something to help protect somebody else,” he declared before opening up: “I’m going share a secret I’ve never spoken before: I’m immunocompromised. I have multiple sclerosis.”
He continued: “So, I’m grateful you’re all vaccinated. I’m grateful my employer says that all these amazing people who work on the floor who came in here for the last 18 months when we were doing this are vaccinated now that we have vaccines.”
The CNN host further said that he also worries he may bring the virus home to his 10-year-old son, who is still not eligible to receive the vaccine.
“I don’t like the government telling me what to do,” King concluded. “I don’t like my boss telling me what to do. In this case, it’s important.”
