Holly Madison Opens Up About Having 'High Executive Functioning' Autism In Candid Interview

Holly Madison is opening up about her neurodivergence.

Back in 2021, the former Playboy Bunny got candid on the Call Her Daddy podcast about having “a hard time fitting in” while growing up — something she attributed to her belief that she’s not “neurotypical.” She suspected at the time that she may have undiagnosed asperger’s, a form of autism spectrum disorder, partially because she said she’d always “had a difficult time connecting with people” — something she said her ex-husband and mother agreed with.

You can see that interview (below):

Fast forward to September of this year, the 43-year-old confirmed on the Ahead of the Curve with Coco Mocoe podcast that she had, indeed, got a “formal diagnosis,” which she talks about (below):

Now she’s opening up about where she stands months later — and she’s still finding it difficult to explain.

Holly toook to her TikTok to share a clip from her interview with Payne Lindsey on the Talking to Death podcast. She candidly wrote in her caption:

“Still learning how to talk about this”

But she does a fantastic job! During the discussion, Holly reveals her doctor informed her that in terms of executive function, which refers to cognitive skills, abilities, and behaviors, according to the University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, she’s “high executive functioning.” She explains:

“I can pretty much go about my life and ‘do things’ normally.”

The reality star adds she’s “not on the same social wavelength as other people,” and sometimes it can come across as “offensive” to others who aren’t aware of her circumstances. And for that, she shares:

“Everybody operates differently, and maybe I think that just interacting with anybody, just have a little bit of patience because you don’t know what they’re dealing with, or what their level of social function is.”

Well said, Holly! We definitely feel like we understand a bit better now! Watch the full clip (below):