Sia has revealed she is on the autism spectrum, two years after issuing an apology to the autism community over controversy surrounding her film “Music.”
The pop singer, 47, shared that she is “on the spectrum” while she awarded “Survivor” Season 44 contestant Carolyn Wiger $100,000 during an episode of the reality TV-focused podcast “Rob Has a Podcast” Thursday. Sia has made it a tradition to award her favorite “Survivor” contestants cash prizes from her own funds.
“I’m on the spectrum, and I’m in recovery,” Sia told Wiger. “I think one of the greatest things is nobody can ever know you and love you when you’re filled with secrets and living in shame. … I was like, ‘I’ve got to go put my human suit on,’ and, only in the last two years, have I become fully, fully myself.”
Sia also gave $15,000 each to “Survivor” 44 finalists Carson Garrett and Lauren Harpe.
The singer-songwriter faced backlash following the 2021 release of “Music,” which led her to delete her Twitter account and add a disclaimer to the beginning of the movie. Advocates of the autistic community voiced complaints about the movie, which is about a young woman named Music who falls under the care of her half-sister, including its depiction of so-called calming restraints and the casting of Maddie Ziegler (“Dance Moms”) as the lead, instead of an autistic actor.
More:Sia shares mental health struggles after ‘Music’ backlash, says Kathy Griffin ‘saved my life’
Sia initially backed her decision to cast Ziegler when called out on social media, saying then-18-year-old Ziegler poured her heart into the role of Music and was careful to portray the character in a respectful way. The two previously worked together on Sia’s single “Chandelier.”
Sia ultimately reversed course and apologized, saying scenes showing restraints would be removed “from all future printings,” and that she “listened to the wrong people and that is my responsibility; my research was clearly not thorough enough, not wide enough.”
More:Sia shares mental health struggles after ‘Music’ backlash, says Kathy Griffin ‘saved my life’
Contributing: Amy Haneline
