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Autism Helps

Autism Spectrum Diagnosis Helped Comic Hannah Gadsby ‘Be Kinder’ To Herself

May 26, 20201:44 PM ET Heard on Fresh Air

“In many ways I appear very good at being social,” says comic Hannah Gadsby. “But it’s an incredibly exhausting process for me.” She found her autism spectrum diagnosis in 2016 helped put her experience into perspective.
Ali Goldstein/Netflix

Gadsby embarked on a comedy career in Australia, but she still felt out of place. It wasn’t until 2016, when she was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder that things started to make sense.

Gadsby’s breakout comedy special, Nanette, which premiered on Netflix in 2018, earned her a Peabody and an Emmy Award and started a broader conversation about comedy and trauma. In it, she describes the abuse she experienced in the “Bible Belt of Australia” as a queer woman, and why comedy might not be the right venue to talk about trauma.

Listen to Terry Gross’ interview HERE.

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