In 2016, De Niro initially defended the inclusion of a controversial documentary, Vaxxed, at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival; the film was directed and co-written by discredited anti-vaccine activist Andrew Wakefield and echoed Wakefield's fraudulent claim that there was a causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism.[251][252][253] De Niro explained that his interest in the film was from his personal experience with his autistic son, Elliot.[252] The film was withdrawn from the schedule after consultation with the festival organizers and scientific community.[252][254] During a subsequent appearance on NBC's Today, De Niro expressed regret that he agreed to exclude Vaxxed from the festival and stated, "I think the movie is something that people should see." Also during the appearance, De Niro promoted the 2014 anti-vaccination film Trace Amounts and stated that he doubted the scientific consensus that there was no link between autism and vaccines.[255][256] In February 2017, De Niro took part in a joint presentation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chairman of the anti-vaccine non-profit Children's Health Defense, to discuss their concerns with vaccine safety. De Niro has stated that he is not anti-vaccination, but does question their efficacy.[257]

Later in 2016, De Niro attended an annual celebrity gala for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The event raised $38 million for the organization.[258][259][260]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_De_Niro#Personal_life