Neurodiverse Celebrity Role Models
Billie Eilish
Following the release of a compilation video of her tics on YouTube in 2020, Billie Eilish revealed she has Tourette's Syndrome.
She raised awareness of her condition on social media and The Ellen Show.
Having been diagnosed with Tourette’s as a child, Billie Eilish is now one of the most successful musical artists of our time. She has reached number 1 in the UK and US charts with her album becoming the pest performing of 2019 in the USA. On top of her chart success, she has won some prestigious awards including five Grammys, two AMA’s, two Guinness World Records and three MTV Video Music Awards. Billie is absolutely rocking it at the moment as she is the youngest person and the first woman to win the four main Grammy categories in the same year!
Dan Aykroyd
The "Ghostbusters" star revealed he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in the 1980s, when his wife persuaded him to seek professional help.
"My symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement. I carry around a police badge with me, for example," Aykroyd said. "I became obsessed by Hans Holzer, the greatest ghost hunter ever. That’s when the idea of my film 'Ghostbusters' was born."
And long before he was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Aykroyd was told he had Tourette's at only 12. "I had physical tics, nervousness and made grunting noises and it affected how outgoing I was," he told the Daily Mail. "I had therapy which really worked, and by 14 my symptoms eased."
Steven Spielberg
In 2012, world-renowned film director and screenwriter Steven Spielberg revealed he had dyslexia. First diagnosed at age 60, he depicted his diagnosis as “the last puzzle piece to a great mystery”. Despite being bullied by his classmates for not being able to read and developing a fear of school, he began making movies at the age of 12 and dropped out of college to become one of the most famous directors of all times.
He explained how making movies made him feel inside his own skillset and forget about his challenges. He never felt a victim and has a positive message about his condition: “It is more common than you can imagine. You are not alone. And while you will have this the rest of your life, you can dart between the raindrops to get where you want to go and it will not hold you back.”
Whoopi Goldberg
On the 13th annual Adam Katz Memorial Conversation, Goldberg sat down with Dr. Koplewicz, president of the Child Mind Institute, to talk about the challenge of growing up with dyslexia and how she thinks it helped make her the person she is today.
One of ten people who received an Emmy, Grammy, Tony AND Oscar Award, Whoopi Goldberg was also the first woman to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. She is an actress, singer, comedian, author, and political activist.
Simone Biles
Simone Biles took a stance against Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stigma after hackers leaked medical records from the World Anti-Doping Agency database and tried to use Biles’ use of medication to question her credentials.
Simon Biles is the gymnast with the most World medals (25) and most World gold medals (19), having surpassed Vitaly Scherbo's record (23) at the 2019 competition in Stuttgart.
Ryan Gosling
Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling struggled with ADHD as a child and struggled reading too. He was prescribed medication and his mum quit her job to home-school him, creating a more ADHD-friendly learning environment. It has not held him back as time away from public school helped him realise his love for acting and creativity, which has led him to a successful career in Hollywood, as we all know.
Wentworth Miller
In 2021, Wentworth Miller revealed he was diagnosed with ASD, which did not surprise him. He intends to use his popularity to raise awareness and speak to a wide audience about autism. He encouraged fans to learn more on the topic and turn to neurodiverse communities on social media.
He also used his world fame as the lead actor of the series “Prison Break” to defend the rights of LGBTQ+ people following his coming out.
Greta Thunberg
Greta has always been open about her autism and looks at her condition in a very positive way. In a 2019 tweet, she wrote: “When haters go after your looks and differences, it means they have nowhere left to go. And then you know you’re winning! I have Asperger’s and that means I’m sometimes a bit different from the norm. And – given the right circumstances – being different is a superpower #aspiepower”.
The same year, the Swedish teenager who became a global conscience for climate change and environmental activism through her world-famous school strike movement, was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2019.
Emma Stone
World-famous actress Emma Stone spoke openly about how her panic disorder first manifested when she was in first grade: "I was at a friend's house, and all of a sudden I was convinced the house was on fire and it was burning down. I was just sitting in her bedroom and obviously, the house wasn't on fire but there was nothing in me that didn't think we were going to die".
While in therapy, she created a book titled “I Am Bigger Than My Anxiety” to help her cope. "I drew a little green monster on my shoulder that speaks to me in my ear and tells me all these things that aren’t true. I turn my head and keep doing what I’m doing – let it speak to me, but don’t give it the credit it needs – then it shrinks down and fades away.” She thinks anxiety and depression help you develop skills such as empathy, and stated: “I believe that people who have anxiety and depression are very, very sensitive and very, very smart, because the world is hard and scary and there’s a lot that goes on, and when you’re really attuned to that, it can be crippling. And if you don’t let it cripple you and you use it for something positive and productive, it’s like a superpower.”
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors and former wrestler, is known for being a ‘tough guy’. He’s recently shown a very different sort of bravery when he shed light on his life-long battle with depression.
He wrote to his millions of Twitter followers, explaining how he faced his own demons after witnessing his mother’s suicide attempt as a teenager. He encouraged men suffering from the condition to seek help in these words: “Depression never discriminates. Took me a long time to realise it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone”.
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe continues to be a hero to a whole generation of young people after giving advice to children with dyspraxia. As a child, Daniel Radcliffe had trouble with handwriting and tying shoelaces due to this condition. His early school years were very difficult because he felt he was awful at everything, “with no discernible talent”.
He offered encouragement on Facebook to a 10-year-old girl: “Do not let it stop you. It has never held me back, and some of the smartest people I know are people who have learning disabilities. The fact that some things are more of a struggle will only make you more determined, harder working and imaginative in the solutions you find to problems”.
Florence Welch
Florence Welch is well-known for being the lead singer of her band “Florence + The Machine”. She often opens up about her dyspraxia and dyslexia in interviews by saying she is proud to have them.
Florence Welch thought school was difficult. She “got into trouble for impromptu singing” and “preferred climbing trees and visiting the library over schoolwork”. She was also involved in “special lessons” at school where she learnt to write in the sand for example.
Despite her singing causing her to get into trouble at school, she turned it into her successful career. She has said the following about her dyspraxia: “The fact that I work in a creative industry probably helps. We dyspraxics think in a different way.”
Stephen Fry
Beloved English actor and writer Stephen Fry revealed his battle with bipolar disorder in the BBC documentary titled The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive.
When diagnosed at 37, he had never even heard the term before but found some comfort in finding an explanation for the depression and mania he experienced all his life. Since then, he has worked on bettering public awareness of mental illness.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
In 2011, the Oscar-winning Welsh actress revealed she had checked into a facility to treat her bipolar disorder right after her husband was diagnosed with cancer. She said in an
interview that she would like to de-stigmatise this mental illness by being open about it.
David Beckham
As part of the 2019 Heads Up campaign created by Prince William and Kate Middleton to foster conversations about mental health in the world of football, David Beckham talked about his struggles with OCD.
Despite this challenge, David Beckham has consistently ranked among the best football players and highest earners in football.
Lena Dunham
Following her debut HBO project “Girls”, a TV show that chronicled her real-life battles with OCD and anxiety, Lena Dunham opened up about her condition in an interview with Vogue. She explained how she was on antidepressants in high school and was obsessed with the number 8.
Her goal is to open up conversations about OCD by “teaching kids from a young age that it’s as okay to say, ‘I’m anxious’ as it is to say, ‘I hit my knee’”.
She received several Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her awareness-raising TV show.