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Jerry Seinfeld Clarifies Autism Comments, Decides He’s Not on the Spectrum After All

Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld explained what he meant when he said he was on the autism spectrum

Just kidding! Less than two weeks after telling the world that he believes he falls on the autism spectrum, Jerry Seinfeld is clarifying what he meant — which was that he is not autistic, but he does relate to it.

"I don't have autism. I'm not on the spectrum," the comedy king told Billy Bush on during an interview with Access Hollywood. "I just was watching this play about it and thought, 'Why am I relating to it?' I related to it on some level. That's all I was saying."

Just to refresh, what did he say, exactly?

"I think on a very drawn-out scale, I think I'm on the spectrum," Seinfeld told Brian Williams earlier this month. When the Nightly News anchor then asked Jerry why he felt that way, the star cited characteristics of the condition that struck a chord with him. "You're never paying attention to the right things. Basic social engagement is really a struggle. I'm very literal. When people talk to me and they use expressions, I don't know what they're saying, but I don't think of it as dysfunctional. I just think of it as an alternate mindset."

This time around, however, Jerry expanded on some of his challenges with social interaction, pointing out that he's hardly alone — especially among people who make a living making others laugh.

"All the comedians that we've had on Comedians in Cars [Getting Coffee] usually at some point in the show … I ask them, 'Do you have trouble talking to just regular people?' And they always say yes. They always say yes."

But their trouble may have more to do with the topics they like to discuss than anything else.

"Comedians never talk about normal things. They don't talk about the weather and how you're doing," Jerry mused with a knowing shrug. "They're always talking about something weird."

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