Country Star Elle King Reveals Autism Diagnosis At 37 — But The Reason She Called It “Good News” Is The Part Of Her Story Fans Cannot Stop Talking About

Country and blues singer Elle King is opening up after revealing earlier this year that she has been diagnosed with autism

King, 37, who is the estranged daughter of comedian Rob Schneider, made that revelation in May on Facebook, writing: “Good news is, I’m autistic.”

King is elaborating on that now after taking part in the reality show, “Nation’s Dumbest,” which is set to premiere on July 15.

“I love games. I love game shows. I’m extremely competitive, and I love puzzles and everything,” King told US Weekly. “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.”

King said she began to panic before the show because she was worried about possibly being the nation’s dumbest person. She said she took two IQ tests, though, and scored 132 on both. The average IQ is 100.

“I’ve had a lot of not my proudest moments, and so especially with my autism diagnosis, I am putting new kinds of safety barricades,” she said. “And 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 spent time in the headlines discussing her relationship with her father, and in 2024, she was banned from the Grand Ole Opry after a drunken performance during Dolly Parton’s birthday celebration.

Parton later came to King’s defense, calling her a “great girl.”

“She just had a little too much to drink, so let’s forgive that and forget it and move on,” Parton said. “’Cause she felt worse than anyone ever could.”