Rosie O’Donnell Says Bill Gates’ Research Team Wanted to Test Her for Autism

Back when Rosie O’Donnell was just starting out as a talk show host, she was also coveted for a research project by Bill Gates. According to the actress and host, the billionaire’s team would call “every few months” asking if they could test her.

More specifically, they wanted to see if she was on the autism spectrum. O’Donnell revealed as much on Tuesday’s episode of “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” when Poehler asked if O’Donnell might be neurodivergent, based on how she processes information.

“You know, when I was first on my show, Bill Gates was doing a large study in the ’90s at the University of Seattle. about autism,” O’Donnell recalled. “This is back when there wasn’t all that much research going on. And they would call, every few months at the first year, and say ‘We really would like to test you.’”

One of the key indicators, she said, was her ability to retain and recite countless lyrics, and even entire TV commercials. To this day, she can still recite a Primatene Mist commercial, which she promptly demonstrated for Poehler.

“There’s no reason, Amy!” she said once she finished. “That I have that stuck in my head.”

At that, Poehler reiterated that O’Donnell has a unique way of storing emotional information. O’Donnell agreed, and noted that her own autistic child has taught her a lot.

“I think that, you know, my autistic child has taught me patience and introspection, to be more introspective about my own stuff going on,” she detailed.

You can watch the latest episode of “Good Hang” in the video above.