18 Nov 5 Famous People With ADHD or ADD
5 Famous People With ADHD or ADD
ADHD is often thought to make life more difficult. It is believed to make people incapable of living life independently.
However, that’s far from the truth. People with ADHD hold an immersive and determined focus ability on the area of their interest or passion.
Despite the challenges that children with ADHD face, their tendency to ‘hyperfocus’ has helped many excel in their respective fields by extending their unique strengths.
Let’s head to our ADHD hall of world-famous personalities to see how people successfully managed their lives and careers in spite of having ADHD.
HERE IS THE LIST OF 5 FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH ADHD OR ADD
1. Will Smith:
Will Smith is among the world’s most prominent singers and actors. The actor successfully made a substantial mark in the entertainment industry.
However, his success and stardom didn’t come without challenges. The star confronted a challenging childhood and struggled with academic and social issues because of ADHD.
Will Smith endured ADHD while growing up!
According to Smith, he was a “B” student who should’ve been getting “As” and encouraged parents to seek professional evaluation early on if their children exhibits signs and symptoms of ADHD.
He stated that he couldn’t finish a book, even if he was granted two weeks to do so. Will Smith expressed himself as “the fun one who had trouble paying attention.”
Today, he is considered one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, making his success more apparent despite his disorder.
However, being among the top Hollywood earners wasn’t enough for him. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he confessed that he could never sit still and always has to uphold moving towards perfection.
His songs Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It and Men In Black paved the path to success in the music industry, with his album Big Willie Style going platinum.
However, despite being diagnosed with ADHD, Smith still aims to become “the greatest movie star in the world.”
2. Ryan Gosling
His Battle with ADHD At School
When Ryan Gosling was in the first grade, he was so influenced by the Sylvester Stallone action film First Blood that he got steak knives at his school and tossed them at other youngsters during recess, which led to his suspension from school.
He was initially evaluated for ADHD at a young age but wasn’t diagnosed with it.
Later on, he was finally given a diagnosis after his struggles with reading and understanding became more noticeable.
However, his battle with ADHD caused him a lot of complications.
He was teased in school and had no friends until he was a teenager. Concerned, his mother homeschooled Gosling for a year.
Let’s Uncover Ryan Gosling’s love of acting.
According to a Ryan Gosling interview with Entertainment Weekly, “I didn’t feel quite smart. They kept passing me in school even though I didn’t know how to do things I should’ve learned how to do. Like, I couldn’t read.” He also added that because he struggled to absorb and retain information in school, he started to act out and cause trouble instead.
Eventually, he found acting, and he realized that it helped him with his focus and concentration.
3. Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is an American businessman and former basketball player.
He overwhelmed his fans with his actions on the court. He is also known as one of the most influential celebrities.
Being diagnosed with ADHD didn’t stop Michael Jordan from winning six NBA championships.
He is one of the most persistent humans anyone will ever come across.
In most of his interviews, he encourages his fans never to give up, regardless of thousands of defeats and failures, which shows his determination.
How Has ADHD Helped Michael Jordan?
Michael Jordan took advantage of his ADHD symptoms – hyperfocus and hyperactivity – and merged them with his determination. And that’s how he succeeded.
Michael Jordan got blessed with an activity he enjoyed: basketball. He was the only accomplished athlete in basketball history who had ADHD disorder. Learn how you can get in a flow state when you have ADHD.
4. Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw is an American former football player.
He also emerged as a successful actor and artist.
Terry notably co-starred in several movies, including Failure to Launch.
However, he also co-hosted many television sports events like Fox NFL Sunday. Plus, he has also been a sports analyst.
He is known to be the toughest competitor in the history of the NFL. Do you still feel ADHD can hold you back from achieving your dreams?
How did Terry Bradshaw overcome the haters and showed his true abilities?
Terry Bradshaw struggled all his life because of ADHD. He always gets anxious and depressed before his football games.
People made fun of him – they would call Terry Bradshaw “dumb.” But he overcame the haters and showed them his abilities by leading Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl victory over the Minnesota Vikings and winning the foremost Super Bowl.
He struggled with ADHD from childhood, but he never disclosed it until sometime during his NFL career.
Terry Bradshaw was diagnosed with ADHD and clinical depression.
Clinical depression is a disorder that affects the mood and makes you appear down and depressed. It causes a loss of interest and constant mood swings.
When Terry Bradshaw was diagnosed with clinical depression, he said, “When you are clinically depressed, your serotonin in your brain will be off-balanced, and I will likely always be off balance. “
The mixture of ADHD & clinical depression made his life even more challenging.
5. James Carville
Best known for standing as the presidential campaign manager for Bill Clinton in 1992, James Carville is a prominent political anchor and advisor.
He was diagnosed with adult-onset ADHD and presented periodic speeches for organizations supporting children and adults with ADHD.
This political pundit and consultant is widely credited for the spectacular and unexpected win of Bill Clinton in the presidential elections.
However, he struggled with ADHD even during this campaign. James Carville acknowledged his adult-onset ADHD and voiced it out publicly.
The political expert who became a TV celebrity commentator expressed his experience with adult-onset ADHD in public.
Is James Carville Ill?
According to his numerous everyday fitness and sickness updates, James is not ill.
Although his age has affected his appearance, he has no known significant health problems.
He is still vigorously engaged in his profession and makes frequent public appearances.
He has delivered several presentations for associations and organizations helping people with ADHD to raise awareness regarding ADHD.
Let your child look beyond the negatives and find the positives –
A Word From Themba Tutors
These celebs are proof that ADHD doesn’t hold you back from living a full, cheerful life. These well-known professionals and celebrities, and many other less-famous folks, have uncovered ways to thrive with ADHD. Sometimes a struggle in one area evolves with a benefit in another. Let your child look beyond the negatives, find the positives, and utilize them as assets for thriving.
We at Themba Tutors coach students with ADHD to flourish in every aspect of their life. We help students with executive functioning, a major cause of their disruptive behavior. Executive functioning is a set of skills essential for day-to-day functioning – organization, time management, prioritization, etc. If you need help from our experts, you can reach out to us anytime!
Do you need help with ADHD?
Chat with Themba Tutors Today! Our ADHD tutors travel to your home.
We travel to the following locations: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk Counties), Westchester County, Connecticut (CT),and New Jersey (NJ).
Have a free consultation today.
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References:
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/success-stories-celebrities-with-dyslexia-adhd-and-dyscalculia
https://www.mentalup.co/blog/famous-people-and-celebrities-with-adhd
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/platform/amp/2013/6/19/4444374/terry-bradshaw-its-a-terrible-combination-having-add-and-having-to
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/6/19/4444374/terry-bradshaw-its-a-terrible-combination-having-add-and-having-to
https://www.masters-in-special-education.com/lists/5-famous-people-with-adhd/
Craig Selinger
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