ER: (Laughs,sort of.) It was. And still is. It still stings. And it was probably the start of my comedy career because I just hit back with,“Please explain.” So,you know,it was pretty harsh and also really unfair ... but if it wasn’t forAustralian IdolI wouldn’t be here doing what I’m doing now. So it’s been a wild ride.Idol led into breakfast radio,and then I moved into stand-up and TV.

Fitz: That wild energy you boast saw you doing many of these things at once,all while dealing with depression. It must have been a struggle to juggle?

ER: Yes. At times,I’d be crying myself to sleep at 2am questioning,“What am I doing with my life? Should I just go and get a regular job? Are my kids OK?“. But I think every parent has those 2am moments.

Fitz: The key difference being that you were very open about your struggles,and had a public platform that got your words out there.

ER: Yes,and I think for me,speaking out about mental health really lifted the load off my shoulders and shone a light into my dark brain. And I realised that sharing my story helped other people.

Fitz: Through all your successes,your ups and downs,your twists and your turns,did you feel different mentally to the people around you?

ER: Yes. I’ve spent my life trying to figure out how to be like everyone else and I exhausted myself pretending to be different versions of myself. And then when I found out that my brain was in fact wired a different way,it was a relief to realise it wasn’t because I was a bad or inadequate person. I was just different. I wish I’d been diagnosed earlier but then saying that,I don’t know that I would have been such a risk-taker in my career if I had been.

Fitz: You said in your National Press Club speech that the catalyst for your diagnosis with ADHD was coming out of the COVID lockdowns,you just felt overwhelmed by fatigue?

ER: Yeah,I had built up all these coping mechanisms,being really busy and having all these jobs and outlets and then when I wasn’t able to perform live and do my job,the house of cards fell in,and I just found myself really battling. And my doctor,who I’ve known my whole life – he delivered me – diagnosed me with ADHD. He put me on medication and,almost immediately,within half an hour,it was life-changing. It was like putting on a pair of glasses for the first time. All the loud voices in my head,the constant critique of myself,calmed down. I was able to sit still and do one thing at a time rather than starting 10 and finishing none.

Fitz: I accept this is delicate,but if ADHD is in fact part of the source of your extraordinary energy and drive,does treating the ADHD not risk damaging your brilliance and curbing your energy?

ER: For me,it certainly hasn’t. It’s just allowed me to channel it a bit better and be more productive – it’s been an amazing saviour. I’m not burnt out as often and I’m not trying to overachieve and impress people as much. I’m very much more centred.

Fitz: And then came the day that somebody called you and said,“Come and speak at the National Press Club about mental health”?

ER: And I said,“No,definitely not,” twice. I’m never really asked to do that sort of thing. I’m the comedian,the loud,obnoxious Italian lady. And that was serious – and instead of performing for people who have chosen to see me and bought tickets,this would be a much broader thing,going out on conservative news channels and the ABC. But my son was diagnosed with autism. And I started seeing other autistic kids and other ADHD kids and I realised it’s my job to facilitate a cultural shift so that their path through life is easier and kinder. So,in the end,when they asked the third time I got over myself and realised,you know,“Stop being selfish. It’s not about you.” So I said yes.

Fitz: And your theme was that the neurodivergent community “are not lacking or less than,but ... different and equally worthy”. You said,“when we are not forced to try and fit into a framework and societal structure that was built for people who aren’t like us,we can be pretty impressive!“.

ER: I just want the neurotypical society to not expect us to be like them,but to in fact meet us in the middle and communicate with us the way we communicate also. So essentially,yes,it’s just remembering that we have an amazing skill set that if supported and with the right infrastructure,we are huge assets. And it’s not hard to do that. And I think that’s the real goal for me:to open everyone’s eyes to the potential in the neurodivergent community.

Fitz: You got a standing ovation for the speech and,in many ways,it’s still going four weeks later. Are you stunned by the response?

ER: Yes. I would never in my wildest dreams have believed it because I’m not used to universal praise and acceptance. And you know what? I was just myself. I didn’t have a band. I wasn’t singing,wasn’t telling jokes. I wasn’t being larger than life. I just kind of stood there,and told my story.

Fitz: You were calling for people with ADHD to be included in the NDIS. And last Monday,the minister responsible for NDIS,Bill Shorten,name-checked you and said we’re going to look into it,even if the next day his department seemed to walk it back a bit.

ER: Yeah. It’s going to be a long process. I think the public perception is that people will say “I have ADHD so we need to get money from the NDIS”. But in fact,there are kids at schools ill-equipped to support children with ADHD. And there’s programs and occupational therapists,and they’re all very expensive and out of reach for a lot of Australian families. So to me,that seems ridiculous and needs to be rectified.

Fitz: Does adding “neurodivergent activist”,to your many roles empower you or overwhelm you,or both,depending on the time of day?

ER: I don’t mean to be an activist. I think,for me,the most radical thing that I can do is just be myself and exist openly in the space and in the world. But if that’s being an activist,good!

Fitz: Does speaking out take its toll,with the trolls,and so forth?

ER: Well,I’ve gotten really good at not taking on board other people’s opinions of me. I do weekly therapy and I’ve worked really hard on myself to get to a space where when I’m sharing things publicly,I’m feeling like I’ve worked through it myself and am bulletproof on it. And I’ve also got an amazing online community that fiercely protect me if they feel I’m being unjustly treated. But now,because I’m 43 and my eldest child is about to turn 21,I am feeling just a bit more secure and safe.

Fitz: What projects have you got on the go and in the pipeline right now?

ER: I’ve got a Spotify exclusive podcast calledEmsolation,which is the main thing I make. I built my own studio and I’ve got a team and we put it out twice a week,which is going amazingly well. And I’m working on a stage show around neurodivergence,using music and screens and spoken word,that hopefully will tour next year. And I’m working on a book,so I’ve got a lot going on but not as much as I used to.

Fitz: And your remaining ambition?

ER: I just want to keep making stuff that connects people and makes them feel less alone.

Fitz: Brava.

Joke of the week

A kindergarten teacher is observing her classroom of children while they are drawing. She occasionally walks around to see each child’s work. As she gets to one little girl who is working diligently,she asks what the drawing is.

The girl replies,“I’m drawing God.”

The teacher pauses and says,“But no one knows what God looks like.”

Without missing a beat or looking up from her drawing,the girl replies,“They will in a minute.”

Tweet of the week

@VictoriaPolice. Ouch.

Quote of the week

“Unless this thing’s got a set of chops on it bigger than Jaws,I’m not interested in putting it through.” –Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie setting out her demand for the government’s proposed integrity commission.

What They Said

“I once felt in my heart that it was wrong,too. I once voted against this legislation. But I will be voting in favour of it today. Having held the hand of the person that I deeply loved as he died peacefully,as he died painlessly,as he died willingly,and in the manner in which he wanted – in the manner in which he had always wanted and at the time of his choosing – I now feel very,very different. It was,truly,a beautiful death. To those Australians who live in the territories ... I say to you,who am I to deny you the choice to leave this earth in the same beautiful way as did my father Steve.” –Liberal Senator Jane Hume saying that watching her terminally ill father die on his own terms led her to change her mind on legalising voluntary assisted dying in the NT and ACT,which she has previously voted against.

“Our job[is] to create spatial equity so that it doesn’t matter what postcode you live in,you have an equal opportunity of the good things that are part of living in metropolitan Sydney,or in the six cities region. We simply have not done that well enough.” –Geoff Roberts,chief commissioner of the recently renamed Greater Cities Commission,saying that Sydney has failed to produce enough affordable housing for its people but a renewed focus on its peripheral cities will provide a crucial opportunity to fix its inbuilt inequalities.

“This is anArmageddon,Deep Impact andDon’t Look Up all rolled into one. We do want to have a better chance than the dinosaurs had 65 million years ago.” –Glen Nagle,spokesman for the CSIRO-managed Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex,which helped to track the space agency’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft,known as DART,as it deliberately collided with the asteroid Dimorphos – which is about the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza – at 9.15am Australian time on Tuesday,and achieved its mission right on time.

“I’m urging consumers to really take this seriously. You now have a power card and if you don’t choose to use that,then I can’t help you. If you’re buying a new car,you check on the quality via a rating and you investigate it so you don’t buy a lemon. Now it’s the same with apartments. You have a rating system,so you don’t buy lemons any more.” –NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler while revealing the first three developers to be awarded gold stars under his new rating system.

“In relation to third parties,the commission will have broad powers to investigate allegations of serious or systemic corruption of or by a public official. The commission will be able to investigate a corruption issue that could involve serious or systemic conduct by any person that could adversely affect the honesty or impartiality of a public official’s conduct.” –Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus in parliament explaining that the federal corruption watchdog will be given the power to investigate anyone who tries to induce public officials to engage in dishonest conduct,widening its scope to capture “third parties” in the pivotal reform to improve integrity in government.

“Trust is critical for the scheme to succeed. I’ll do everything within my power to engage with the people who I have fought alongside,who I have engaged with for the last decade.” –Paralympic gold medallist and disability advocate Kurt Fearnley on being appointed as the new chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency,the first person with a disability to chair the agency.

“With the lack of rental accommodation and rising rental prices,people are getting kicked out of their homes if they’ve got a companion animal,and it’s making it more and more difficult for them to be able to secure accommodation. Because of the rental crisis,a lot of shelters and pounds are filling up really quickly.” –Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst as the NSW government weighs up changes to residential tenancy laws that would give renters greater rights to pet ownership,as animal welfare advocates say the housing crisis is forcing people to surrender animals.

Twitter:@Peter_Fitz

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