Voice actor Tom Kenny stunned fans by revealing that the beloved cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants is autistic.
Fans of the show may be surprised to hear that their favorite dude that lives under a pineapple and under the sea is “kind of on the spectrum.”
Kenny, who has been the voice behind the popular cartoon since 1999, put a little spin on the unexpected news by saying that autism was SpongeBob’s “superpower,” according to E!News. Kenny first shared the news during a Q&A panel at Motor city Comic Con in Detroit, earlier in the year, the outlet reported.
SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 25: Patrick and SpongeBob pose at the Nickelodeon booth during the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International – Day 3 on July 25, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)
Kenny has been the recognizable voice behind the famous cartoon since his inception, but has never opened up about this assessment. He explained that the conversation began with an honest question from a fan.
“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? Is SpongeBob himself autistic as a character?” Kenny said in a fan-shared video.
“It was the first time I’d ever been asked this question,” Kenny said.
NEW YORK – JULY 15: Voice of cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants, Tom Kenny attends the Spongebob Squarepants wax figure unveiling at Madame Tussauds on July 15, 2009 in New York city. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic) Getty Images
He went on to explain what happened next.
“Yes! Of course!” he told the fan. “Of course he is.”
Kenny continued chatting with the fan, and spoke of the positive spin he put on the big news.
“You know what? That’s his superpower, the same way it’s your superpower.,” Kenny told the fan.
Kenny’s update resonated with fans across the globe. People took to social media with reactions, with one person writing, “I knew it. No wonder why I understood him so well,” on July 23.
I knew it
No wonder why I understood him so well pic.twitter.com/sLnl0HSAjB— The Human Rebuild 🤝🏾 (@thehumanrebuild) July 23, 2024
Another person wrote, “Now I relate to him even more.”
This is the second such revelation to come from the show. Nickelodeon revealed that SpongeBob was a member of the LGBTQ+ community, by sharing a post in honor of pride month in 2020. (RELATED: Emile Hirsch Explains How Spongebob Was His Inspiration For Playing A Cold-Blooded Killer)
It’s safe to say we’ll all be tuning in to SpongeBob to revisit this newly shared information.
