5 Things Amanda Seales Clarifies About Herself In Viral ‘Club Shay Shay’ Interview

She’s Recently Been Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder

One of the most shocking revelations that Amanda Seales shared with Sharpe was her recent discovery that she is on the spectrum. While speaking with the retired athlete-turned-podcaster, Seales expressed that she’s “evolving” and has been receiving “a lot of information and a lot of slander at the same time.”

When asked of that information, she revealed, “In the past month… it’s just been a very like difficult time, but there’s been really beautiful things that have come out of it. I was recently diagnosed as someone who has autism spectrum disorder which is very difficult to identify in Black women because of racism.”

“What it typically means is that your brain functions in a different way, so you’re neurodivergent,” she added. “And you also have certain tendencies that are considered outside of what the neurotypical way of things is. And a lot of times that can have you present in a manner that people misrepresent, which is the story of my f**king life.”

Amanda has repeatedly expressed that she feels that people would rather pay more attention to her tone, verses the information that she is giving out.

According to The 19th News, “Black girls and women later diagnosed with autism,” as “most mental health disorders present differently in Black women because it’s looked at through such a White and male lens. People don’t recognize similar behaviors with traditionally feminine or Black interests.”

She’s No Longer Protecting ‘Insecure’ Co-star and Creator, Issa Rae

While having her sit-down with Sharpe, Seales finally spoke on her rumored feud with actress, producer, and philanthropist, Issa Rae. The two worked together on the hit HBO series Insecure where they played best friends. As some thought their issues began on the show, Seales clarified that it was Rae’s publicist who initially had an issue with her, which resulted in Rae allegedly not having her back or “empowering” her as a woman.

“So I’ve never talked about this publicly because it has always been incredibly important to me to protect Issa,” she began. “Because I know that Issa is doing something within this business that so few people get to do. And it’s not something I desire to do. I’m not interested in getting a $100 million production deal. That’s not a life that I want for myself. But I know that her role is very important.”

Seales also pointed out that many deemed her a “mean girl,” which she said could be the furthest from the truth. “I just want to point out something very basic. How can I be a mean girl on a set that ain’t my set? How? It’s your show. You are my boss,” she explained. “I don’t even have the capacity to be the mean girl here because you can fire me.”

She then went on to declare that Rae “wasn’t empowering,” and made her feel like she was “needed.”

“She didn’t feel like I deserved to be protected,” she said. “I’m only giving a portion of the situation. But that was my experience. And nonetheless, I have still always protected her because I felt like it was my responsibility to do so. But it is not.”

Amanda Reflects On Dealing With Racism As A Child Star

At one point in her sit-down, Amanda reflected on being a Disney child star and being called the N-word by her white counterparts. As the only Black girl on set, Seales deemed it a “racist” act.

Sharpe insensitively challenged her experience, claiming that “kids are just kids,” and that they shouldn’t be held accountable because of their age. However, his response to her caused much backlash online.

“As a child, you never said anything derogatory?” Sharpe downplayed her experience. “You were just this model citizen as a child?” In response, she countered his question with, “So you have no problem with the children that were cursing out Ruby Bridges? And the Little Rock Nine? Do you think that was just them being kids?” 

Seales then asserted that she was there to share her experience and “not protect” those people who called her the derogatory term for “whatever” reasons.

As the viral clip made its rounds, many criticized Sharpe for his lack of sensitivity. “If there’s anything to learn from Shannon Sharpe’s interview with Amanda Seales is that he (and other black men) will continuously attempt to pacify antiBlack racism,” one person wrote on X.

Expectations Of Perfection Started In Her Youth With Theater And Gymnastics

Amanda gave backstory to why she’s always had a confident demeanor, rooting from her days of gymnastics and theater.

Speaking to how her mentality came to be, Seales shared that she was “shaped” by her coach, theater director, and mother, who “yelled a lot” and expected her to “be perfect” at all times. She also shared that she had a “high level of professionalism” since the young age of eight.

Expressing her confusion as to why people believe that she’s “hard to work with,” she added, “I just laugh. I’ve been in this business for so long and then even when I was in spaces that weren’t professional spaces, you were expected to carry yourself. You were expected to be obedient, you’re expected to show up ready to work, you’re expected to be self-motivated. You better be able to do it whether they’re there or not.”

“That’s what I come from, people expecting you to be at your best when they’re not looking,” she continued. “That’s how I’ve always operated but you go through life and you realize that’s not how everybody operates.”

Some critics have accused Seales of being headstrong when it comes to compromising her stances. She’s become known for having strong opinions that not everyone agrees with, or would present in such a way as she does. However, according to her, she’s been taught to strive for perfection throughout life — which could attribute to critics’ perception that she feels she’s always right.

Amanda Actually Has Gone To Therapy Because of Critics’ Backlash About Her Likability

Although some may think that Amanda has no intentions of “checking herself” or truly understanding what people’s issues are with her, she’s actually gone to therapy about it. After speaking on how her mentors saw her “flaws as strengths,” she did express that because of that, she had difficulty understanding why people “didn’t like her.”

She said, “I started going to therapy because I was like, ‘People kept telling me that no one likes me, and I do not understand it.’” She then admitted to Sharpe that at one point, she believed that she wasn’t likable because she “had low self-esteem.”

She then shared that when her therapist asked of her to list the reasons that people don’t like her, she mentioned her tone, being “too detailed oriented” and nit-picky, and that she’s too demanding. But in Seales’ eyes, she views it as her holding people accountable. She also added that although people think she’s “mean,” she’s actually “just being honest.”

Amanda then credited therapy for helping her to be aware of how people interpret her way of thinking so that she can “better protect” herself.