SpongeBob SquarePants has been confirmed as “on the spectrum”.
That’s according to the iconic cartoon character’s voice actor Tom Kenny at a panel discussion while attending the Motor City comic convention. “SpongeBob’s kind of on the spectrum, too, as a character,” he said in a video posted on X.
“This last con that I did in McAllen, Texas — 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? Is SpongeBob himself autistic as a character?’”
The actor recalled his answer: “I said, ‘Yes, of course. Of course he is. You know what? That’s his superpower, the same way it’s your superpower.’”
Watch the clip below.
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
This isn’t the first time Tom Kenny has discussed SpongeBob being neurodivergent. Kenny – who has voiced the character since its debut in 1999 – said in October 2012 during an appearance on the WTF Podcast with Marc Maron: “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.”
In other SpongeBob-related media, the 2023 video game SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake scored a four-star review, with Andy Brown writing for NME: “The Cosmic Shake is brilliant when it gets inventive. Though quick-time events and button-mashing minigames are a little dreary in most games, The Cosmic Shake bucks the trend – a personal favourite includes cooking up Krabby Patties for the town, trying not to burn each pattie as they all cook at wildly varying speeds. Though other areas could have benefitted from a shake-up, the moments that do veer into monotony are largely carried by the fact that The Cosmic Shake‘s tight pacing means you’re rarely there long before it’s time to be whisked away for some other nautical nonsense – and there’s plenty of that to enjoy.”
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