SpongeBob SquarePants confirmed to be autistic by voice actor

Tom Kenny, the voice behind SpongeBob SquarePants, has officially confirmed that everyone’s favorite sea sponge has autism.

SpongeBob SquarePants has transcended his Saturday morning cartoon medium to become a bonafide pop culture icon. The little yellow fry cook has gained so much capital in the show’s 14-season run that he was honored with his very own Xbox as well as an appearance in Super Bowl LVIII.

Even after so many years on the air, SpongeBob has maintained a very active community of fans who are still discussing the show and crafting theories to this day. A frequent topic of conversation has been whether SpongeBob’s behavior is an indication that he is on the autism spectrum.

At the 2024 Motor City Comic Con in Detroit, SpongeBob SquarePants’ legendary voice actor Tom Kenny publicly confirmed that the character is indeed Autistic. X account ToonHive uploaded a clip of a Q&A session in which Kenny explained his reasoning.

Kenny had actually revealed SpongeBob being on the spectrum to a fan previously. In the Motor City Comic Con Q&A, the voice actor recalled the moment to the audience.

“SpongeBob’s kind of on the spectrum too as a character,” he told the crowd in attendance. “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?’”

“‘Of course’,” Kenny recalled answering the fan. “I said, ‘You know what? That’s his superpower, the same way that’s your superpower’.” At that point in the Q&A the crowd applauded Kenny’s answer.

Surprised fans were initially shocked before admitting “Actually, that explains a lot”. Others who had theorized about SpongeBob being autistic for some time welcomed the reveal. “Glad it’s finally confirmed,” one commented.