Media

CNN’s John King says he has multiple sclerosis

by Maureen Breslin - 10/19/21 3:33 PM ET

CNN anchor John King on Tuesday disclosed that he has multiple sclerosis while speaking on his program, “Inside Politics.”

King brought up his diagnosis while discussing former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s death Monday due to complications from COVID-19. Powell died despite being vaccinated and was immunocompromised due to a multiple myeloma cancer diagnosis. That led to King telling his panel and the television audience that he was also immunocompromised.

King told his panel, “I’m going to share a secret I have never shared before. I have multiple sclerosis. So I’m grateful you’re all vaccinated.”

—@JohnKingCNN: “I’m going to share a secret I’ve never shared before: I am immunocompromised. I have multiple sclerosis. So I’m grateful you’re all vaccinated….” pic.twitter.com/7vOk2CxXRP

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 19, 2021

King then added that he was grateful CNN had a vaccine mandate because he worries about contracting the virus due to his medical condition and fears for his “10-year-old son, who can’t get a vaccine.”

“I don’t like the government telling me what to do. I don’t like my boss telling me what to do,” King said. “In this case, it’s important.”

According to CNN, King also shared his dismay with how some conservative news hosts were using Powell’s death to create vaccine hesitancy and said that because of COVID-19 vaccines, people “can do something to help protect somebody else.”