SpongeBob SquarePants is autistic, according to voice actor Tom Kenny: 'That's his superpower'

Tom Kenny wants kids with autism to know that SpongeBob SquarePants shares their "superpower."

During a recent appearance at Motor City Comic Con in Michigan, the actor, 62, said the beloved animated character he voices is "kind of on the spectrum."

"A person who's obviously on the spectrum came up to me and said, 'I have a question for you, Tom Kenny: Is SpongeBob autistic? Is SpongeBob himself autistic as a character?'" Kenny said, according to a video shared on social media. "And I said, 'Yes, of course. Of course he is!'"

He added, "I said, 'You know what? That's his superpower, the same way it's your superpower.'"

Kenny, who also plays Patchy the Pirate in live-action on "SpongeBob SquarePants," previously reflected on why the Nickelodeon cartoon appeals to children with autism so much.

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"I think they like that character," he said in a 2017 interview with Bleeding Cool. "He doesn't have a filter, he does what he wants. It comes up a lot actually, the autistic thing comes up, like at comic-cons and things like that."

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Kenny added, "I know autistic kids fixate on certain things and certain shows, but there's something about 'SpongeBob' and it's not just that 'SpongeBob' is bigger than other shows." Rodger Bumpass, the voice of Squidward, suggested in the Bleeding Cool interview that this has to do with the fact that "there's a simplicity" to the show, "not only in the gags and the words, but to the colors and the drawings that might appeal to autistic kids or adults also."

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"SpongeBob SquarePants," which follows the undersea adventures of the title character and his friends, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. The show is still airing new episodes, and Kenny has provided SpongeBob's voice since the beginning in 1999. The actor has also voiced characters on animated shows like "The Powerpuff Girls" and "Adventure Time."

"'SpongeBob' feels more real to me than real life lately," Kenny recently joked to USA TODAY. "I think Bikini Bottom is actually reality, and we're just a dream SpongeBob and Patrick are having. It's like a 'Black Mirror' episode."

Speaking to USA TODAY, Kenny also credited the continued success of "SpongeBob" to original creator Stephen Hillenburg, who died in 2018.

"One thing I learned from him is that character drives everything," Kenny said. "You shouldn't violate who they are or stuff they would do for the sake of a laugh. Steve was very strict about that. He always said SpongeBob was the hardest character to write for. He's so elastic; he's very complex."

Contributing: Patrick Ryan