For a while now, Survivor superfan Sia has expressed her appreciation for her favorite players by giving them large amounts of cash once the season concludes. But this time, her gift came with a surprising revelation.
While third-place finisher Carolyn Wiger appeared on former contestant Rob Cesternino‘s Rob Has a Podcast, Sia made a surprise appearance to tell Carolyn she’d be giving her $100,000.
But then Sia revealed, “I’m on the spectrum, and I’m in recovery … and for 45 years, I was like, ‘I’ve got to go put my human suit on.’ And only in the last two years have I become, like, fully, fully myself.”
Sia told Carolyn she was inspiring because, referring to the contestant’s quirky behavior, she went out in the world and “didn’t put her human suit on … and was willing to be the weird one.”
“The kook in me recognizes the kook in you,” Sia added. She said she wanted to have dinner with Carolyn and Survivor host Jeff Probst.
The singer’s surprise reveal that she’s on the spectrum comes two years after she was criticized for casting Maddie Ziegler, who is neurotypical, as a non-verbal autistic teen in her movie Music. She was also criticized for a scene in the film that depicted an aide physically restraining an autistic character.
In early 2022, Sia told the New York Times that she was “suicidal and relapsed and went to rehab” because of the controversy over the film. She credited comedian Kathy Griffin with “saving her life.”
(Sia’s revelation comes 25:02 into the video; video contains uncensored profanity.)
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