'Prison Break' Star Wentworth Miller Reveals He Was Diagnosed With Autism During Quarantine, Says It Was A 'Shock'
Actor Wentworth Miller took to social media to bravely reveal he has been diagnosed with autism.
The 49-year-old star posted a lengthy post via Instagram sharing his diagnosis. “Like everyone, life in quarantine took things from me. But in the quiet/isolation, I found unexpected gifts,” he began. “This fall marks 1 year since I received my informal autism diagnosis. Preceded by a self-diagnosis. Followed by a formal diagnosis.”
Along with a photo of a blank white square, he continued, “It was a long, flawed process in need of updating. IMO. I'm a middle-aged man. Not a 5-year-old,” noting that he fully recognizes “access to a diagnosis is a privilege many do not enjoy,” saying his diagnosis “was a shock” but not a “surprise.”
The Prison Break star declared that although he is proud to share his diagnosis, he doesn’t speak for the entire autistic community. “I don't know enough about autism. (There's a lot to know.) Right now my work looks like evolving my understanding,” he wrote. “Re-examining 5 decades of lived experience thru a new lens. That will take time.”
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“Meanwhile, I don't want to run the risk of suddenly being a loud, ill-informed voice in the room. The #autistic community (this I do know) has historically been talked over. Spoken for,” he added. “I don't wish to do additional harm. Only to raise my hand, say, ‘I am here. Have been’ (w/o realizing it).”
The hunky actor, who came out as gay in 2013, admitted that being autistic is something he will wear as a badge of honor for the rest of his life. “This isn't something I'd change. No. I get - got - immediately being autistic is central to who I am. To everything I've achieved/articulated,” he wrote.
He concluded his heartfelt post by thanking those “many (many) people who consciously or unconsciously gave me that extra bit of grace + space over the years” and “allowed me to move thru the world in a way that made sense to me whether or not it made sense to them.”
His followers flooded his comments section with praise for courageously living his truth. “You are so so strong, keep going, the whole world loves you WM❤️,” a user wrote, while another commented: “Thank you for this. Got my autism diagnosis at 30 years old, and it was a peculiar gift, really. Your voice, about this, is so comforting. So, so comforting.❤️.”
