At the 2024 Motor City Comic Con in Detroit, Kenny explained that a fan asked him, "Is SpongeBob autistic?"
"SpongeBob's kind of on the spectrum too as a character," he said at the convention.
"It was the first time I'd ever been asked this question — 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?’”
He recalled replying, "'Yes, of course he is!"
"I said, 'You know what? That's his superpower, the same way that's your superpower.'"
Tom Kenny responds to claim if SpongeBob is autistic: “Yes, of course he is! That’s his superpower the way your superpower is.” pic.twitter.com/dkAWkw2bRR
— ToonHive (@ToonHive) July 23, 2024
Kenny's explanation was met with applause from the crowd. In October 2012, Kenny told Marc Maron's WTF podcast, "SpongeBob as a character is a little autistic."
"I don't know what there is in that show that talks to kids that are on the autism spectrum, but more than other cartoons... because SpongeBob as a character is a little autistic. Obsessed with his job, very hardworking, gets really really deep into something."
