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Tom Kenny Addresses His Comment About SpongeBob Being 'Autistic' Going Viral: 'I'm Not A Medical Doctor'
Tom Kenny addressed his comments on SpongeBob SquarePants being autistic, clarifying in an interview with EW that he isn't a doctor to talk and noting that SpongeBob is a fictional character.
Remember SpongeBob SquarePants? He is no longer just a Nickelodeon character but an icon. Since the franchise's debut in the summer of 1999, Nickelodeon has never looked back. Known for his unique voice, provided by actor Tom Kenny, SpongeBob has become a beloved and evergreen character. Recently, the voice actor spoke out against theories regarding SpongeBob's neurodiversity.
Kenny was a guest at Motor City Comic Con, where he was asked by a fan if the character was autistic. He agreed and termed it a "superpower." Speaking with Entertainment Weekly on July 26, at the site's San Diego Comic-Con video suite event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants, Kenny reflected on his comments, which went viral, saying, "I'm not a medical doctor, and SpongeBob is an imaginary character, so I'm not really qualified to speak on the matter."
Tom Kenny on calling Spongebob SquarePants autistic
After Kenny commented on the character at the 2024 Motor City Comic Con in Detroit during a Q&A session, it went viral.
“SpongeBob's kind of on the spectrum too as a character,” Kenny said in his actual comments, posted on YouTube by the account @BigBlueGlasses. "It was the first time I’d ever been asked this query a person who was obviously on the spectrum came up to me and said, ‘I have a question for you, Tom Kenny. Is SpongeBob autistic?'
The voice actor later told EW that he never meant the comment to go viral and rather considered it as a private interaction moment with the fan. "But it seems like it's been empowering and helpful to people out there," Kenny added.
Tom Kenny won awards for being the voice of SpongeBob Squarepants
Created by Stephen Hillenburg, the show first aired on Nickelodeon in 1999. The series has run for a total of 14 seasons and has inspired three feature films. The series revolves around the title character and a vast cast of his aquatic friends. SpongeBob SquarePants is an energetic and optimistic yellow sea sponge who lives in a submerged pineapple.
Kenny, who voiced the childlike character, won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program in both 2018 and 2020. Similarly, he also voiced the iconic characters of Ice King in Adventure Time and its spinoff Fionna and Cake, the Mayor and Narrator in The Powerpuff Girls, Carl Chryniszzswics in Johnny Bravo, and Spyro in the Spyro video game series.
ALSO READ: 'That’s His Superpower': Voice Actor Tom Kenny Says SpongeBob SquarePants Is Autistic
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