Voice actor Tom Kenny surprised fans by revealing that beloved cartoon character SpongeBob Squarepants has autism.
Fans of the show might be surprised to hear that their favorite guy who lives under a pineapple and at the bottom of the ocean “has some sort of spectrum disorder.”
Kenny, who has been the voice behind the popular cartoon since 1999, put his own spin on the unexpected news, saying that autism is SpongeBob’s “superpower.” according to E! News reports that Kenny first broke the news during a Q&A panel at Motor City Comic Con in Detroit earlier this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m85AN_at0vY
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 25: Patrick and SpongeBob pose at the Nickelodeon booth during day three of the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California on July 25, 2014. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images, Courtesy of Nickelodeon)
Kenny, who has been a well-known voice behind the famous comic since its inception, has never spoken about the assessment before. He explained that the conversation started with a straightforward question from a fan.
“Someone who is clearly on the autism spectrum came up to me and said, ‘Tom Kenny, I have a question for you: Is SpongeBob autistic? Is SpongeBob himself, as a character, autistic?'” Kenny said in a video shared by a fan.
“It was the first time anyone had ever asked me that question,” Kenny said.
NEW YORK – JULY 15: Tom Kenny, the voice of cartoon character SpongeBob Squarepants, attends the unveiling of the SpongeBob Squarepants wax figure at Madame Tussauds in New York City on July 15, 2009. (Photo: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic) Getty Images
He then went on to explain what happened.
“Yes! Of course!” he told his fans. “Of course I do.”
Continuing his conversation with fans, Kenny said he took the big news in a positive light.
“Hey, that’s his superpower. It’s just like your superpower,” Kenny told fans.
Kenny’s update resonated with fans around the world, as people took to social media to respond, with one person writing on July 23: “That’s what I was thinking. No wonder I get it so well about him.”
I knew it
No wonder I understood him so well pic.twitter.com/sLnl0HSAjB— The Human Rebuild 🤝🏾 (@thehumanrebuild) July 23, 2024
Another wrote: “Now I have even more empathy for him.”
This is the second revelation from the show, as Nickelodeon has revealed that SpongeBob is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. post In celebration of Pride Month 2020. (RELATED: Emile Hirsch Explains Why He Was Inspired by SpongeBob Squarepants to Play a Cold-Blooded Killer)
It’s safe to say we’ll all be keeping our eyes on Spongebob to revisit this newly shared information.
