Amy Schumer Says Husband Chris Fischer Was Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder While They Were Dating
- Amy Schumer talks about her husband’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in her new Netflix special, Growing.
- Amy says Chris was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder while they were dating.
- Autism spectrum disorder manifests differently in everyone, but often includes difficulty making eye contact and sustaining conversations.
Amy Schumer definitely hasn’t been shy about her pregnancy issues (she’s been suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum—essentially constant vomiting, worse than morning sickness).
Now, in her new Netflix special Growing, which is out today, Amy digs into another personal aspect of her life: Her marriage to chef Chris Fischer, whom she wed last February in California. (Don’t worry—she still talks about her pregnancy issues, too).
In the hour-long stand-up show, Amy talks about Chris’ diagnosis with autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disorder that affects a person’s communication and behavior, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
“I knew from the beginning my husband’s brain was a little different than mine,” says Amy in the special. “My husband was diagnosed with what used to be called Asperger’s. He has autism spectrum disorder. He’s on the spectrum. And there were some signs early on.”
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Back up, what exactly does it mean to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder?
Autism is known as a “spectrum” disorder because there’s a lot of variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience, according to NIMH. Symptoms usually appear within the first two years of life. While autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can manifest differently in everyone, common symptoms include making little eye contact, being slower to respond to someone working to get their attention, and having difficulties sustaining a conversation.
Amy says Chris was officially diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder while he and Amy were dating. “Once he was diagnosed, it dawned on me how funny it was because all of the characteristics that make it clear that he’s on the spectrum are all of the reasons that I fell madly in love with him,” Schumer says. “That’s the truth. He says whatever is on his mind. He keeps it so real. He doesn’t care about social norms or what you expect him to say or do.”
One example of this? Amy talks about a time when she fell in front of Chris, and his reaction was….unexpected. “Nine out of 10 people would go, ‘Oh my god, are you OK?'” Schumer explained while recalling the incident. “Maybe more like 10 out of 10 people. Instead, my husband […] kind of froze and became a lighthouse, opening and closing his mouth.”
Amy also says she benefits from Chris’s extreme honesty. “If I say to him, ‘Does this look like shit?’ He’ll go, ‘Yeah, you have a lot of other clothes. Why don’t you wear those?'” Schumer says. “But he can also make me feel more beautiful than anyone ever has in my whole life. And he can’t lie! Isn’t that the dream man?”
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