“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Mythic Quest” creator-star Rob McElhenney revealed Tuesday that he was diagnosed with “neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities” at age 46.
Sharing the news in a midafternoon tweet, the multi-hyphenate entertainer and entrepreneur who’s also known as the co-owner of Wrexham AFC with Ryan Reynolds said that he decided to go out of his comfort zone and open up about his personal life in hopes of helping “others who struggle with similar things.”
“I was recently diagnosed with a host of neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities! At 46!” he said, adding, “It’s not something I would normally talk about publicly but I figured there are others who struggle with similar things and I wanted to remind you that you’re not alone. You’re not stupid. You’re not ‘bad.’ It might feel that way sometimes. But it’s not true.”
McElhenney also said that he will “go through the full diagnosis/prognosis” on an upcoming episode of “The Always Sunny Podcast,” which will air in two weeks.
Read the tweet in full below.
Posted Tuesday, the tweet has gotten 5.5 million views in its first 24 hours, at the time of publishing. Fans — many of which self-identified as having atypical diagnoses of their own — sounded off in the replies to express their support and gratitude for McElhenney sharing the news.
One verified user named Matthew Broberg-Moffitt wrote, “Your openness is great for neurodivergent folks like me (who was diagnosed Autistic at 37, but been diagnosed with Dyscalculia and Hyperlexia for most of my like)! I’m was already a big fan!”
User Matt McCarrie wrote, “We got you Rob!! Same thing happened to me at 40. Put a lot stuff into perspective. You’re going to help a lot of people! It’s a great thing you’re doing.”
And Jessica Moore added her own story of learning more about her health later in life, saying, “I got diagnosed with ADHD in my late 20s, and gosh I wish I would’ve found out sooner! But now that I know the signs I see them in a lot of people, it’s amazing how many friends got diagnosed after I did and their lives changed for the better. I’m sure your friend group will experience growth with your experience, too.”
