5 Beloved TV and Movie Characters That I Believe Are 100% ADHD-Coded

Growing up, I loved watching TV. In fact, it’s the only thing I did most days. It’s not shocking that I’ve made my living engaging with, writing about, and creating media. I found the immersive worlds spoke to me in ways I couldn’t understand. Hyperactive characters that loved being funny and would maybe cut people off every now and then always made me feel seen. Little did I know I was living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and these characters (whether intentionally or unintentionally) showed all the same traits I lived with.

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If you watch a lot of TV, then you may recognize some of these characters who were poster examples for ADHD.

1. Beast Boy, “Teen Titans”

Beast Boy was a hyperactive, super funny, super distractible, and impulsive character who had a couple of episodes where his hijinks were the source of conflict for the plot. Oftentimes he’d stop listening to the conversation, zone out, and ask people to repeat themselves. In every single way, I see all of the “typical” traits of ADHD in him.

2. Jacob Hill, “Abbott Elementary”

Jacob Hill is a very talkative and tangential conversationalist, which tends to be a running gag in the series. That little voice that is supposed to tell someone “Hey, maybe you should stop talking,” clearly doesn’t exist for him. His speech patterns remind me of your “average” ADHD’er, like me.

3. Tigger, “Winnie The Pooh”

Hyperactivity is the name of the game for Tigger. He’s always bouncing from place to place (similarly to how I’m always bouncing my leg) and seems to have no energy in sight. It reminds me of when I simply can’t turn my brain off, and I need some form of stimulation to keep moving and going. Tigger really puts the “H” in ADHD.

4. Anna, “Frozen”

Princess (or queen depending on which movie) Anna is another chatterbox. Anna is a quirky character that I personally adore, but a lot of her “quirks” really just seem like “ADHD” traits. Also, between you and I, she’s also the poster child for chronically lonely kids with unresolved abandonment issues, but y’know, that’s another story for another day.

5. Michael Scott, “The Office”

My absolute favorite example because wow. He proudly showcases every trait that I can think of when it comes to ADHD — impulsivity, hyperfixations, chattiness, and everything else listed above. For example, one of my favorite moments…the George Foreman grill moment.

What I love about all of these characters is how loved they are by the people around them. While sometimes their personalities and traits can get them into trouble, it’s never held against them in any negative way and it usually just brings their community closer. It really goes to show that just because you live with ADHD doesn’t mean you aren’t lovable or even “annoying” to the people that matter.