How A Suggestion From Kathy Griffin Became The 'Best Thing That Ever Happened' To Sia
From conspiracies that she was locked in Beyoncé's basement to major film controversy, Sia has had quite the career. The "Chandelier" hitmaker has consistently branched outside of her singing roots, pursuing songwriting and directing. You may not know her face — since Sia famously covers it with eccentric wigs — but you know her hits: Rihanna's "Diamonds" and Beyoncé's "Pretty Hurts," to name just a couple. Despite these outward successes, it turns out the multi-platinum recording artist was dealing with her own internal struggle for years.
Sia spoke about the journey to her late autism diagnosis on "The Zane Lowe Show," explaining that it was actually Kathy Griffin who pushed her to finally get help. "It made a lot of sense to me because I've suffered my whole life, really suffered, and I didn't know why," she recalled. "And I felt like I had to put on a human suit all the time to go out and be a part of the world."
This diagnosis came after the artist's highly controversial film, "Music," was widely condemned due to its ignorant depiction of autism. Sia also praised Griffin, in an interview with The New York Times, for saving her life during this time, as she struggled with significant depression because of the film — which Sia both wrote and directed — receiving such a poor reception.
Sia is grateful to Griffin for urging her to get evaluated
Sia opened up further about the moment that her dear friend Kathy Griffin drove her to get the help she needed. Ironically, she had just gotten into an infamous Twitter battle with an autistic actor who criticized her film, "Music." It was then that Griffin came to her with an honest observation: The songstress may be autistic herself. "I'm so grateful to Kathy Griffin for just saying, 'Me and your Kardashian fans, we think you're autistic and you should get tested,'" Sia shared on "The Zane Lowe Show."
Taking the comment seriously, she got a neuropsychological evaluation done. Over the course of six days of testing, Sia was eventually diagnosed with level 2 autism. According to Medical News Today, the autism spectrum ranges from level 1, which is high functioning, to level 3, which encompasses more extreme difficulties with daily functioning like speaking.
"Personally, it was the best thing that ever happened to me," Sia said of her autism diagnosis while speaking to Lowe. Since then, the singer has confirmed that the transformation has been incredible. In another interview with "Rob Has a Podcast," the "Cheap Thrills" singer shared how she has become a truer version of herself since then than in her entire life.
Sia faced criticism for her film's depiction of autism
With shows such as "Love on the Spectrum" and "Atypical," neurodivergence is gradually getting better representation in the media. However, Sia's movie, "Music," was met with significant online backlash upon its release in 2021. The musical follows a young artist on the autism spectrum, played by Maddie Ziegler, who falls under the care of her older sister, portrayed by Kate Hudson. Sia claims that it took her 20 years to develop the film, but the majority of viewers asserted that it should have been scrapped long before.
Audiences were outraged that Ziegler, a neurotypical dancer, was cast in the lead role. The negative critiques continued to roll in as Sia vocally defended her film. The depiction of Ziegler's character was deemed to be stereotypical and simplistic and a scene in which she is physically restrained was heavily criticized. The movie was even labeled dangerous and highly offensive by several autism organizations.
Eventually, Sia addressed the swirling accusations by providing a disclaimer at the beginning of any future screenings of the film. "I plan to remove the restraint scenes from all future printings," she also tweeted at the time (via the BBC). "I listened to the wrong people and that is my responsibility, my research was clearly not thorough enough, not wide enough."