It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson shared how his neurodivergent diagnoses positively impacted their lives and marriage, with McElhenney saying people had assumed “I was lazy”
McElhenney told Variety that the diagnosis “answered a lot of questions for me”
The actor hasn’t shared specifics about his diagnosis, but neurodivergence refers to people whose brains work differently and includes disorders like autism and ADHD
Rob McElhenney is opening up about being diagnosed as neurodivergent, and how it has impacted his marriage.
The actor, who previously shared that when he was 46, he was “diagnosed with a host of neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities, told Variety in a cover feature that “it answered a lot of questions for me that I’ve always had about my life and the trajectory of my life.”
“And how unsuccessful I was at so many things for so long, like school. I was a terrible student, McElhenney, now 48, said in the interview, published on Wednesday, May 21.
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor, along with his wife and costar Kaitlin Olson, 49, talked about the positive impact his diagnosis has had on their marriage.
Nino Muñoz for Variety
Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson appear on the cover Variety
As the Cleveland Clinic explains, the term neurodivergent “describes people whose brains develop or work differently for some reason.” It may describe people with autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorders, and other diagnoses.
While the Wrexham AFC co-owner said “I had a lot of love and support,” he told the outlet “there was also a lot of assumptions that I was lazy because I was stubborn.”
Olson, who shares sons Axel, 14, and Leo, 13, with McElhenney, revealed that the diagnosis had a positive impact on their marriage, explaining, “I loved it.”
“The neuro psych called me and had a long discussion with me and was asking me all these questions. Rob’s an amazing person and my best friend and my life partner, and he’s the best,” she said. “He’s also really hard to live with sometimes, and it was nice to have some answers.”
Nino Muñoz for Variety
Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson talked about his neurodivergence to Variety
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In hindsight, she said there were clues he was neurodivergent. “Looking back, even when we were dating, there would be times where I’d be like, ’That’s f—ing weird. What is this thing that’s going on?’ “
His diagnosis, she told the outlet, “gives me the language to ask questions and open up a conversation, and now we can talk about that stuff.”
“I don’t just quietly go assume that he’s being disrespectful, ” she added, “because he’s not.”
Read the original article on People
