The death of Robin Williams last Friday sparked a national conversation about depression and how to reach out to those who are suffering from it. But according to Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo star Rob Schneider, Williams’ suicide should also trigger a national conversation about the pharmaceutical industry, which the actor claims may have been culpable in the Mrs. Doubtfire star’s death.
In a series of tweets, Schneider argued that Williams’ suicide could have been a side effect of the prescription pills that Williams may have been taking to treat Parkinson’s disease. (It is not clear at this point whether or not Williams was on any medication for Parkinson’s at the time of his death).
Now that we can talk about it. #RobinWilliams was on a drug treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s. One of the SIDE-EFFECTS IS SUICIDE!
— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) August 14, 2014
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The Evil pharmaceutical industry ADMITS TO OVER 100,000 people in the USA DIE A YEAR FROM “PRESCRIPTION”; DRUGS!! #RobinWilliams — Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) August 14, 2014
Schneider then implied that those who disagree with his assessment are on the payroll of the pharmaceutical companies.//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Check out all the Big Pharma Trolls climbing out from under the sludge! See how ugly they are!
— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) August 17, 2014
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Schneider is also an outspoken critic of vaccines, which he says cause autism. (The American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, the World Health Organization, and the Institute of Medicine all claim otherwise).