SpongeBob SquarePants Is Autistic, Voice Actor Confirms: “That’s His Superpower”

Actor Tom Kenny, the longtime voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, has revealed his character is autistic.

During his recent appearance at Detroit’s Motor City Comic Con, Kenny recalled an interaction with a fan in which he confirmed SpongeBob is neurodivergent. “SpongeBob’s kind of on the spectrum, too, as a character,” he said in a video originally posted by @DominoDeerGirl on Twitter.

“This last con that I did in McAllen, Texas — it was the first time I’d ever been asked this question,” Kenny explained. “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?'”

The actor recalled, “I said, ‘Yes, of course. Of course he is. You know what? That’s his superpower, the same way it’s your superpower.'”

This isn’t the first time Kenny has spoken about SpongeBob being 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,” he said during a 2012 appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. “Obsessed with his job, very hardworking, gets really really deep into something.”

In 2019, Kenny spoke about feeling a connection with his character. “I felt like I just got [SpongeBob],” he told Entertainment Weekly. “You go, ‘Oh, I know this guy. I can embody this guy.’ I feel like there’s some shared DNA between me and this character… That’s part of Steve [Hillenburg]’s brilliance. He seemed to be pretty sure of his decisions once he made them, and couldn’t be dissuaded.”

Kenny has voiced SpongeBob and several other characters on SpongeBob SquarePants since it premiered on Nickelodeon in 1999. He won Daytime Emmy Awards for the role in 2018 and 2020.

SpongeBob is in the midst of its 14th season. It was picked for Season 15 last year.

tom himself said spongebob was on the spectrum at motor city comic con!! i got to see the panel and my dad got this video of it which i had to screen record cuz it was on facebook 😭tom was really nice to everyone and made sure everyone got to ask their questions!! pic.twitter.com/hpAtPKFaby

— Domino (@DominoDeerGirl) July 22, 2024