Josh Thomas has revealed he is Autistic in the hopes of helping us all get a better understanding of the Autism spectrum.
In a statement posted on his socials, the Aussie comedian says he’s known for a while:
“It’s been a nice experience for me, figuring it out. I’ve learnt to understand myself better and it’s helped people around me do the same.”
Josh explains that he’s been feeling lots of emotions, “but the dominant one has been relief.”
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“I’ve decided to share this with everyone because the range of Autistic people and characters we see in the media is very slim, when the Autism spectrum is huge and varied,” Josh continues.
“So here I am, another version of an Autistic person for people to see. Hopefully this helps further colour in and add texture to society’s idea of what an Autistic person is. Thanks! Hugs!” he ends.
He also captioned his statement, “not literal hugs, though. Please. I really don’t like them. X.”
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Josh has been an advocate for Autism representation for many years and in his latest TV project, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, he plays the legal guardian of his two American half sisters, one of whom is Autistic.
In an interview with Variety.com last year, Josh shared how important it was to cast an actress on the Autism spectrum for the role of his half sister, Matilda.
“There are actors out there on the spectrum who want jobs, and they should get those jobs.”
The position was filled by Kayla Cromer, who publicly disclosed she’d been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in 2019. By taking on the role of Matilda, Kayla became the first actress on the Autism spectrum to play an Autistic main character in a TV series.
You can read Josh’s full message below:
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(Feature Image Credit: DFree/Shutterstock.com)