Rob McElhenney Diagnosed With a ‘Host of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Learning Disabilities’ at 46 Years Old

Rob McElhenney – who is best known for his role as Ronald ‘Mac’ McDonald on the hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – has some unsettling news to share with his fans, The 46-year-old actor was recently diagnosed with ‘a host of neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities.’ 

He initially revealed the diagnosis on Twitter on July 11, where he was met with a resounding amount of love and support from his more than one million followers. His tweet was seen by more than 5.7 million Twitter users and received more than 2,000 retweets, 350 quotes, 44,700 likes, and 1,200 bookmarks. 

In the tweet, McElhenney confirmed his diagnosis didn’t stop him from recording a new episode of The Always Sunny Podcast with Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day. Fans will have to wait two weeks before listening to the episode, but they can expect more details surrounding the diagnosis and prognosis.  

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Rob McElhenney went on to discuss how his diagnosis isn’t something he would ‘normally talk about publicly,’ but he figured there were ‘others who struggle with similar things’ and he wanted to take a moment to remind those people that they’re ‘not alone’ in their personal struggles with the disease. 

“It’s not something I would normally talk about publicly but I figured there are others who struggle with similar things and I wanted to remind you that you’re not alone. You’re not stupid. You’re not ‘bad’. It might feel that way sometimes. But it’s not true,” he wrote on Twitter – ending his message with a smiley face. 

Many users replied to his tweet with kind words of encouragement as thousands of people praised him for being open and having a ‘fantastic attitude’ in the wake of unfortunate news. In fact, some Twitter users even shared their own stories of being diagnosed with learning disabilities (or any disability) as an adult. 

“I got diagnosed with ADHD in my late 20s, and gosh I wish I would’ve found out sooner! But now that I know the signs I see them in a lot of people, it’s amazing how many friends got diagnosed after I did and their lives changed for the better,” one user wrote – urging others to be open about their own symptoms.

Rob McElhenney Isn’t Allowing His Diagnosis to Slow Him Down

Despite the unsettling diagnosis at 46 years old, Rob McElhenney has a lot to look forward to as he continues to make smart investments. He has been the co-owner of Wrexham A.F.C. for three years now and recently watched them get promoted to the English Football League for the first time in 15 years.

He co-owns the team alongside his buddy, Ryan Reynolds, and the two are currently preparing for the start of the new season – which begins on August 11, though they first step foot on the pitch on August 5. In addition to the English Football League, they’ll compete in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and the EFL Trophy.

Futbol (soccer) isn’t the only sport Rob McElhenney is getting involved in. He recently teamed up with Ryan Reynolds and fellow actor, Michael B. Jordan, to become part owners of the Alpine F1 racing team – which is primarily owned by Groupe Renault and features Pierre Gasly and Estevan Ocon as drivers.

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According to the Alpine F1 racing team, the trio of actors will gain a 24% ownership stake in the team – which is being valued at $218 million. At that evaluation, the F1 racing team is worth a total of nearly $900 million. We’ll have to wait and see if Reynolds and McElhenney can duplicate the success they’ve had with Wrexham, but in Formula One.