Rob McElhenney revealed Tuesday that he recently found out he has several neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities, adding that he decided to share the news publicly to help others feel less alone.
“I was recently diagnosed with a host of neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities! At 46!” the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” creator tweeted, adding that he plans on detailing the diagnoses on his “The Always Sunny Podcast” with costars Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day in two weeks.
“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 :).”
The “Welcome to Wrexham” star received plenty of support in the comments with one person writing, “We got you Rob!!” and another adding, “thank you for sharing and helping thousands who may be struggling.”
Rob McElhenney revealed Tuesday he has been diagnosed with learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
A third added, “And to come this far in spite of…impressive, sir!”
In 2021, the 46-year-old, who recently bought England’s Wrexham Association Football Club with Ryan Reynolds, talked about his mental health routine in 2021.
“I meditate and practice TM [transcendental meditation],” he told Ilana Glazer in Interview Magazine at the time. “That’s been invaluable to me, and if you want to talk about exercise, I did find over the last few years—and I’m not trying to bro out or push some exercise agenda—but actual physical exercise has transformed not only my body, but my spirit.
“Not to sound too woo-woo, but exorcising the demons through actual sweat alleviates so much anxiety and stress. And I truly feel better. But yeah, the closest thing I have to a spiritual practice would be TM,” he said.
The actor also discussed his ultra-fit physique in 2018 after he put on weight for his role on “Sunny,” then lost 70 pounds and bulked up in 2018.
Rob McElhenney, left, and Ryan Reynolds are co-owners of England’s Wrexham Football Club. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
“Look, it’s not that hard. All you need to do is lift weights six days a week, stop drinking alcohol, don’t eat anything after 7 P.M., don’t eat any carbs or sugar at all,” he joked on Instagram. “In fact just don’t eat anything you like.
“Get the personal trainer from Magic Mike, sleep nine hours a night, run three miles a day, and have a studio pay for the whole thing over a six- to seven-month span. I don’t know why everyone’s not doing this. It’s a super-realistic lifestyle and an appropriate body image to compare oneself to. #hollywood,” he teased.
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In 2021, McElhenney told Reynolds for a Men’s Fitness interview that he decided to get fit as a challenge for the comedy show.
“I’m fascinated with the presentation of the human body, and the way it’s been presented for the last 30 or so years, and what’s considered attractive versus what is considered realistic,” he said. “For ‘Sunny’, I spend a lot of time in writers’ rooms with comedy writers, and our job is to tear each other apart and to tear the culture apart—what’s going on in the cultural conversation, and how can we satirize that in a way that nobody else is really doing?
“I just thought: ‘Well, I want to try to build a body that’s absolutely ridiculous and truly impossible to keep up unless you devoted your entire life to it.’ So when people ask, ‘How did you get that ripped?’ everything I named in that post is exactly what I did, and it’s a completely unsustainable lifestyle.”
Elsewhere in the interview with Reynolds, he discussed the “impossible” standards men sometimes feel they have to live up to – physically and emotionally.
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“I will say … that men … are held to a standard of masculinity that’s impossible to live up to or is probably essentially unethical to live up to: that sort of quiet, masculine tough guy who’s both jacked and ready to throw down at any moment but also sensitive—but not too sensitive,” he told the “Deadpool” star.
