The Flash Star Wentworth Miller Reveals Autism Diagnosis

Wentworth Miller , who played Captian Cold in The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, revealed in a moving Instagram post earlier this week that he has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Saying that it is not something he would change, Miller told his followers that he doesn’t want to fall into the trap of using his celebrity to become too loud a voice in the neurodiversity space, before learning more about autism and examining what the diagnosis means for him. He offered to direct fans to resources to help them better understand Autism Spectrum Disorder if they want, but declined to talk about it further.

At present, Miller has removed almost all of the posts on his Twitter and Instagram pages. His social media presence has, effectively, been given a reboot since he revealed his diagnosis.

“Like everyone, life in quarantine took things from me. But in the quiet/isolation, I found unexpected gifts,” Miller wrote. “This fall marks 1 year since I received my informal autism diagnosis. Preceded by a self-diagnosis. Followed by a formal diagnosis.”

You can see the post below.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a lifelong neurological disorder which can vary greatly in how it presents from case to case. Per the Autism Society of America, it can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Autism is most commonly diagnosed in children, but as public awareness of the disorder increases, the likelihood of “missed” diagnoses being made later in life is bound to increase.

Miller called his autism diagnosis a “gift,” and thanked those who supported him throughout his journey, especially those who had given him “that extra bit of grace + space over the years, allowed me to move thru the world in a way that made sense to me whether or not it made sense to them.” He joked that for those who didn’t give him that benefit of the doubt, it was another kind of gift seeing them reveal their true selves.

Miller was a lead on Prison Break, along with his The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow co-star Dominic Purcell, from 2005 until 2009, and reprised the role in the 2017 revival. He would later say that he was finished with the role, in part because after coming out as gay, he no longer felt like he wanted to play straight characters.

After debuting as Captain Cold on The Flash, Miller moved over to DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, where he reprised the role for one seson. At the end of the show’s first season, Captain Cold died to save the rest of the team. Miller has been back occasionally since — once as an alternate-Earth version of himself who was gay and in a relationship with The Ray (Russell Tovey), and once as the voice of a shipboard AI on an alternate-Earth version of the Waverider, the Legends’ timeship.

Note: A previous version of this story said that Miller had come out as bisexual. In fact, he had come out as gay. We regret the error and any confusion it may have caused.