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Famous Individuals with Attention Deficits
Stories of success because of the gift, not despite it.
Simon Biles
Biles used her ADHD's innovative gifts to facilitate her creation of new gymnastic moves. She had to envision a movement that others couldn’t see, break it down into its components, and then put in the countless hours of practice required to make it a reality.
Richard Branson
He has long been suspected of having a form of autism. He never actually created most of his inventions and only drew them. When tested, his inventions work as intended, indicating that he had the ability to the workings of his inventions when he drew them.
Jim Carrey
Diagnosed with ADHD, he was always a restless child and shared that in school he would finish his assignments quickly and then start disrupting the other kids. Carrey has been open about his ADHD and uses his celebrity status to bring bring awareness to the topic.
Woody Harrelson
Harrelson has spoken out about his struggles with ADHD and unique gifts it gave him. Diagnosed at the age of seven, Woody struggled to focus in school. He credits his success partially to his ADHD.
Dave Grohl
Dave is the frontman for the Foo Fighters and former drummer for Nirvana and has spoken about his diagnosis of ADHD. He recalls his poor academic performance as a child and credits ADHD with directly being responsible for “an insatiable desire to play music” that he developed as a child.
Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel has expressed the magnitude by which his ADHD has been reflected in his comedy. Today, he advocates strongly for ADHD and has made it clear that there are many gifts that come with the diagnosis.
Emma Watson
While Emma has never publicly admitted to having ADHD, many foundations have claimed that Emma was both diagnosed with and treated for ADHD while she was a child filming the Harry Potter series. It is easy to see how ADHD may have helped Emma sky-rocket to fame.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is known to have ADHD. Gates has also publicly discussed his tendency to fill his days with constant activity, which could indicate a need for consistent stimulation or a response to potential restlessness.
Michael Jordan
A basketball legend, Jordan found school challenging due to difficulties in focusing. After his career, he remains an advocate for ADHD, consistently mentioning that he credits his success in part to the unique attributes the condition has given him.
David Neeleman
Neelemanshook up the airline industry with ADHD. It wasn’t just a hurdle to overcome, it was the driving force behind his ability to think differently, innovate rapidly, and dominate one of the most competitive industries in the world: His career has been marked by bold moves and visionary thinking.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison is known for having hundreds of inventions under his belt with over 1000 patents to his name. He was so hyper-focused on his projects he often slept in his laboratory. He was also disorganized and usually described as disheveled in his appearance.
Walt Disney
Disney pioneered the animation industry where he was animator, writer, voice actor, and film producer. He took what were crude drawings and turned them into a brand that is now instantly recognizable worldwide: Disney.
Will Smith
Smith self-diagnosed himself with ADHD and has shared it openly. After discussing his difficulty finishing books, he credited his driven nature as a by-product of his ADHD; winning multiple awards, including four Grammys and an Oscar.
Ryan Gosling
While they evaluated him for ADHD, he was never formally diagnosed. However, there has been no doubt in Ryan’s mind that he does, in fact, have ADHD. Growing up, he struggled and was bullied because of his challenges which drove him towards performing and acting.
Justin Timberlake
In 2008, actor and musician Justin Timberlake publicly revealed in an interview that he had been diagnosed with ADHD. Since then, Timberlake hasn’t spoken on his condition or how it impacts his daily life, but has remained an incredibly successful actor and musician.
Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum has publicly shared his struggles with ADHD during his childhood and how his struggles at school affected him. His ADHD has not stopped him but rather helped land him many critically acclaimed roles.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has acknowledged she has ADHD and has been ongoing treatment for the condition ever since she was a child. Exceptionally creative, Taylor Swift has written 252 songs in her life, 124 of which were written solo by her, and more than 60 tracks credit her as the sole writer.
Ingvar Kamprad
Ingvar was diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADHD. It was his difficulties remembering product codes that led to IKEA’s famously creative furniture names – chairs and desks have men’s names, plus garden furniture uses names of Swedish islands.
Jamie Oliver
Oliver was diagnosed with ADHD as a child in Britain and went on to lead an empire of television shows, cookbooks and restaurants. Jamie is very open about his diagnosis and has often advocated for the positive traits ADHD has shared with him.
Will.I.Am
Will.i.am discovered early on the power music had to keep him focused. “It keeps my mind from wandering. I can stay in the music,” he has said. “Music brings control to my thoughts.” Will. I. Am has consistently credited his successes to many of his unique, ADHD traits.
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