Wearing a blue snakeskin-print dress to match the color theme of the evening and the arrivals' blue carpet, Holly Robinson Peete attended Autism Speaks' inaugural Blue Tie-Blue Jean Ball at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, her husband, Rodney, at her side.

The mother of an autistic son, “I’m on the national board of Autism Speaks, and every chance I get I like to help our local chapter, so I couldn’t wait to come. I also love Sarah McLachlan,” said Peete, referring to the event’s headline performer. “This is our date night.”

Pete has been appearing of late in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly in “a nice little arc” as the love interest of Reno Wilson’s character, Carl. “On major networks there are no African-American romantic storylines, so it’s good to have one,” she said, noting that there are more episodes to come. While she was disappointed about her firing from daytime’s The Talk, “I think everything happens for a reason, and there are a lot of things happening now that wouldn’t be if I was still on The Talk,” she pointed out. “But I do miss it, and I hope to do more daytime TV.” 

Peete has a clothing line in the works for T.J. Maxx for spring, and has a cameo role in the 21 Jump Street movie, due in March. “Don’t blink,” she said with a laugh about her brief appearance.

A friend of the Peetes, comedian Sinbad was on hand to support them and give thanks for the fact that his own grown children, ages 26 and 22, are healthy. “I’m blessed, and I think we have to be less selfish and be more aware, and open the conversation,” he said.

“I’ve been on the road since ’83, I’m never gonna stop,” Sinbad said about standup comedy, noting that he has several gigs this month but not on Christmas Eve, when he plans to be “decorating the tree and chilling.” New Year’s Eve will find him at home too. “I do a show every other year,” he explained. Right now he’s recording “funk-blues” music for an album. “I play drums and guitar. I started as a drummer so I’m going back to that,” he said.

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(Photo: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)