Chris Rock Was Recently Diagnosed With Nonverbal Learning Disorder

Chris Rock did a big interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote the fourth season of Fargo, which he’s in, and no, he didn’t once again explain himself for bringing out too-dumb-for-Fox-News Stacey Dash at the Oscars, but he did talk a lot about aging and said that at 55 years old, he was diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD).

Chris recently took a nine-hour series of cognitive tests earlier this year and the result that was spat back at him was NVLD, which is basically a condition that means the adult sufferer has challenges interpreting nonverbal signals in social situations [cut to me googling where to find these same tests online]. This is how Psychology Today explains NVLD:

Nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD) or nonverbal learning disability, is a neurological condition marked by a collection of academic—and sometimes social—difficulties experienced by children of average or superior intelligence. NVLD may include problems drawing, writing, telling time using analog clocks, or otherwise manipulating visual-spatial information. Tasks that require motor coordination, such as tying shoes, may also be impaired. NVLD may also include problems with executive function and higher-order information processing, math and social skills.

By his own admission, it seems like the biggest issue that resulted from this disability was having personal connections and relationships with people. Chris says that he never really noticed anything wrong in his everyday life until recently, when he began suspecting that he might have been coming off like a capital A asshole to some people, via People:

“I’d always just chalked it up to being famous,” he said. “Any time someone would respond to me in a negative way, I’d think, ‘Whatever, they’re responding to something that has to do with who they think I am.’ Now, I’m realizing it was me. A lot of it was me.”

“And all I understand are the words,” he said of frequently understanding things in their most literal meanings, which he said helps with his comedy. “By the way, all of those things are really great for writing jokes — they’re just not great for one-on-one relationships.”

Chris recently got shit for saying that Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats focused too much on Trump’s impeachment back in January and not enough on the whispers coming out about coronavirus. But Chris also went on to compare Donald Trump to a 5-year-old, so, he’ll probably have to issue an apology to 5-year-olds soon. 

Chris also says he does 7 hours of therapy each week AND admits to only just learning how to swim:

“Do you know how fucking hard it is for a grown-up to learn how to swim? You’ve got to not be scared to die,” he tells me, before acknowledging the absurdity of having a pool that he couldn’t previously use at his Alpine, New Jersey, home. “The other day, this guy says to me, ‘OK, you’re going to dive into the deep end and swim to the other side,’ and I’m like, ‘Are you fucking crazy?’ But then I dove into the deep end and I swam to the other side, and it’s a metaphor for what I’ve been trying to do during this time.”

Good on Chris for talking about having NVLD, but well, he also said in this interview that his Fargo role is the best part he’s ever had. Chris better avoid his phone for a bit unless he really wants to hear a sobbing Adam Sandler say, “Did Grown Ups not mean ANYTHING to you?!”

Pic: THR