The voice actor of SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom Kenny, has responded to rumors that SpongeBob has autism. Although SpongeBob’s autism has never been officially acknowledged or refuted by the show’s creator, Stephen Hillenburg, Tom Kenny spoke about it with fans, following a lot of conversations surrounding the character’s traits that possibly suggest he might be autistic.
Kenny has previously also opened up about SpongeBob having autism and why he appeals to so many children who suffer from autism. Here’s what the voice actor said.
Tom Kenny Regards SpongeBob’s Autism His “Superpower”
Speaking at Motor City Comic Con in Michigan recently, the voice actor revealed that the popular animation character he plays is “kind of on the spectrum.”
“A person who’s obviously on the spectrum came up to me and said, ‘I have a question for you, Tom Kenny: Is SpongeBob autistic? Is SpongeBob himself autistic as a character?'” Kenny said, adding, “And I said, ‘Yes, of course. Of course he is!'” He added, “I said, ‘You know what? That’s his superpower, the same way it’s your superpower.'”
Previously he has also spoken about why he thinks SpongeBob appeals to so many children who deal with autism as he said, “I think they like that character. He doesn’t have a filter, he does what he wants. It comes up a lot actually, the autistic thing comes up, like at comic-cons and things like that.”
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What Is SpongeBob’s Story?
Created by Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob SquarePants follows the adventures of the show’s title character, a sponge who lives underwater in a pineapple. SpongeBob is a happy and gregarious fry chef at Mr. Krabs’ Krusty Krab restaurant. He is accompanied by Squidward Tentacles, the grouchy octopus who lives next door, and Patrick Star, his best friend, a dimwitted but endearing starfish.
The show is one of the most loved shows in recent generations and is also very popular. It’s an integral part of Niceleodeon and continues to thrive in its space.
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