AI Summary
5 min readComedian Vittorio Angelone was diagnosed with autism at 29, but the diagnosis didn’t arrive as a sudden revelation. It came as the end point of a long, confusing process where he kept upsetting people without understanding why. “I am constantly so worried that I've upset people, but I have no way to tell if that's the case whatsoever,” he says. “I'm fucking it in both directions. I'm apologizing when I no need to apologize. I'm patting myself on the back when I've ruined somebody's day.” That experience of social blindness—swinging punches with a blindfold on—is the core of his story, and it connects to a broader set of observations about autism, masking, and the strange social dynamics of comedy.
The Diagnosis and the Mask
Angelone was diagnosed with autism at 29, but the process was gradual. It started with friends joking that he was autistic, then escalated through a series of social collisions where he thought an interaction had gone well, only to receive a message the next day explaining how he had insulted someone or crossed a line. “I am constantly so worried that I've upset people, but I have no way to tell if that's the case whatsoever,” he says. “I'm fucking it in both directions. I'm apologizing when I no need to apologize. I'm patting myself on the back when I've ruined somebody's day.”
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Modern Wisdom
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Opening Banter & Getting Spiked in Nashville** - Vittorio discusses his past Jordan Peterson fandom, then recounts being spiked in Nashville, the vomiting, urgent care visit, and being wheeled through the airport.
- 2 (11:15) **Shitting Himself at the 9/11 Memorial** - Vittorio shares a story about shitting himself at the 9/11 Memorial in New York, framing it as a bit that audiences don't believe.
- 3 (18:02) **Autism Diagnosis: The Path to Realization** - Vittorio describes the gradual process of realizing he might be autistic, starting with friends' jokes and escalating to social faux pas.
- 4 (21:44) **The Assessment Process & "Girl Autism"** - Details the NHS waiting list (4 years), getting offers for free private assessments from audience members, and the results.
- 5 (24:54) **Culpability, Tourette's, and Social Decorum** - Discusses the line of culpability for neurodivergent actions, using the Baftas Tourette's incident as a case study.
- 6 (29:37) **The Nightmare of Unintentional Social Faux Pas** - Chris shares a recurring dream about accidentally crossing an invisible social line, which Vittorio relates to his own experience.
- 7 (31:13) **Autism Levels, Terminology, and Comorbidity** - Vittorio explains the three levels of autism (replacing the term Asperger's) and the comorbidity with ADHD and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Vittorio Angelone is an Irish comedian, writer, and podcaster.
Is it autism, or something else? Humor can come from a lot of places: being Irish, being an only child, a little neurodivergence, or all of the above. And if you happen to be all three, you might have the perfect recipe for a comedian.
Expect to learn what happened to Vittorio when he visited Nashville, the biggest difference between being an only child and being autistic, why being uncool is the worst kind of cancellation, why it’s so hard to communicate authentically, why goofy male podcasts appeal to women, if there is any hope for AI and much more…
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom
Get up to $500 off the Eight Sleep Pod 5 at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom
Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 and your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom
Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom
Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at https://chatgpt.com
Timestamps:
(00:00) Was Vittorio Actually a Jordan Peterson Fan? (01:29) Did Vittorio Get Spiked by a Redneck? (11:29) The UK’s Superior Sandwich Technology (17:57) How a Late Autism Diagnosis Changed Vittorio (24:54) When Do You Become Responsible for Your Actions? (29:29) The Discomfort of Making Someone Uncomfortable (31:12) How Big Is the Autism Spectrum? (37:55) The Irish Times Article That Went Viral (44:22) UK vs US: Who Has the Best Roasts? (53:49) The Risk of Being Cringe Cancelled (01:06:00) Why You Shouldn’t Hide Your Ambition (01:23:00) Autism or Sociopathy: Where’s the Line? (01:25:33) Trusting Your Gut Can Be So Hard (01:30:09) Why Women Love Comedy Podcasts (01:39:04) Why Chris Is Doing More Hang Episodes (01:44:00) Is This the Most Belfast-Coded Threat? (01:49:32) How Much Would You Sell Your Leg For? (01:56:05) Where to Find Vittorio
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative B
More from this podcast
Modern Wisdom →