‘I’ve Never Talked About This’: NewsNation’s Leland Vittert Reveals Autism Diagnosis in Brave On-Air Announcement

NewsNation anchor Leland Vittert made a deeply personal disclosure on-air Monday by revealing that he grew up having been diagnosed with autism at an early age, sharing hopes that his new book will help parents and kids across the country.

Vittert first gave a nod to having grown up “on the Asperger’s/autism spectrum” in a Father’s Day essay posted on his network’s website last year, an article he has since expanded into an upcoming memoir, Born Lucky, from Harper Horizon.

During Monday’s On Balance, Vittert described his book as “the story of growing up with what we now know as autism.”

The book, he continued, is “about giving hope to tens of millions of parents whose kids are struggling every day — not just with autism, but ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety, bullying, and the difficulties of growing up.”

“I didn’t talk until I was three,” Vittert shared from behind the anchor desk. “My middle school principal told my parents I was, quote, weird. They were both right.”

What followed was a candid, wrenching account of childhood isolation, bullying — even abuse from teachers.

“In eighth grade, the art teacher said in front of the entire class that if his dog was as ugly as me, he would shave its ass and make it walk backwards,” he said.

During the broadcast, Vittert made clear that this book and segment were less focused on his youth and more about a tribute to his father for having “sacrificed everything” to help him – a dedication he credited with preparing him for the world of careers and relationships.

“He became my best friend for a long time,” the anchor said. “He was my only friend, my protector, cheerleader, and harshest critic. Those lessons took me from a kid who could barely talk and didn’t understand basic social interaction to the White House, North Lawn, the battlefields of the Middle East, and now the anchor desk of two networks.”

He continued: “My dad… sold his company, stopped his career, and dedicated the next 18 years of his life to helping me. This is the love story of a father who sacrificed everything… and how, with a lot of love, hard work, and unyielding standards, you, anybody, doesn’t have to be defined by a diagnosis.”

“I am living proof,” he said.

Born Lucky is now available for pre-order and will be released September 30.

Watch above via NewsNation.

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