Country-blues star Elle King has never been shy about her life, whether it’s behind-the-scenes glimpses into her music or her tumultuous relationship with her father, comedian Rob Schneider.
Now, she is opening up her private life even more, sharing on Facebook a surprising diagnosis fans likely didn’t see coming. Her viral 2024 Grand Ole Opry performance was among King’s more public struggles, and, by her own admission, not one of her proudest moments.
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But it’s not those struggles she revealed publicly on Facebook—it was a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder:
“Good news is, I’m autistic.”, she shared on May 24.
King was a contestant on a reality show competition Nation’s Dumbest, where she put her smarts to the test.
But it wasn’t until filming concluded that she was diagnosed with autism. She elaborated to US Weekly, “I’m extremely competitive, and I love puzzles and everything,” and added, “I actually found out right after the show that I’m autistic, and so I was like, ‘Everything makes so much sense now.’ But I didn’t even know.”
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She may be famous for “Ex’s & Oh’s” but the pieces of her own puzzle have just recently come together for the Grammy-nominated musician.
Now that she knows she’s autistic, she’s taking a newfound approach to life, admitting, “With my autism diagnosis, I am putting new kinds of safety barricades,” and stating, “I just want to be around people that I feel safe around, and I just want to do things that bring me joy.”
King has one final show slated for 2026—a headlining performance at Banana Festival in Fulton, Kentucky on September 19.