By Andie Hagemann
The Disney+ Original series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder continues to tell entertaining and hilarious stories, while highlighting culturally specific experiences of the Black community and addressing universal topics. Now in its second season, the series spotlights the topic of autism through the character BeBe (voiced by Aiden Dodson).
In the recent episode “BeBe,” the character repeatedly goes missing only to wind up in inexplicable places. Baffled by his actions, Trudy (voiced by Paula Jai Parker), Oscar (voiced by Tommy Davidson), and Penny (voiced by Kyla Pratt) seek medical attention, and in the process discover BeBe is autism. Actor and autism activist Holly Robinson Peete lends her voice to the character Dr. Lord, who operates a school for neurodivergent children and evaluates BeBe.
In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, Disney Branded Television hosted a virtual screening and Q&A with series creatives Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar; guest star Peete; and moderated by RespectAbility consultant Diane J. Wright. Dodson, who like his character is also autistic, later joined the conversation, donning a T-shirt reading “Team BeBe” and emblazoned with the character’s image.
When developing The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Smith and Farquhar wanted to continue the progress of the original series with trailblazing storylines and characters. Those conversations led to discussions about the Proud family’s youngest members BeBe and CeCe (voiced by Bresha Webb) and how to shape the now-slightly-older characters. “For some unexplained reason, we put a cape on BeBe and we started to examine him internally,” said Smith.
And while prepping for Season 2, Meredith Roberts, executive vice president, TV Animated, Disney Branded Television, requested an episode center around autism. “We didn’t want to do a special episode [on autism] and then never visit [it] again or explore the character beyond that episode,” recalled Farquhar. “We thought this would be a perfect trait to imbue his character with and then examine it in a holistic way—a total family way, not just the BeBe character.”
Farquhar and Smith enlisted the expertise of Peete, whose son R.J. was diagnosed with autism in 2000, to ensure the autism diagnosis experience—especially the within the Black community—is depicted authentically. Peete relished the opportunity to be a part of her family’s favorite show, both behind the scenes and voicing a character.
“When my son was diagnosed, there was zero representation of autism and neurodivergence on television, let alone from the African American point of view,” Peete said. “The viral clip of Dr. Lord diagnosing BeBe is one of the most gratifying things I have ever been part of. I didn’t write it, but it was a reimagination what I wish that developmental pediatrician had said on that day 23 years ago.” Peete also shared with Bruce that her son was also quite fond of capes, just like BeBe.
In addition to the inclusion of Peete and Dodson, Smith shared that one of the main story artists for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is autistic and requested to work on the scene where BeBe is diagnosed. “The artist wanted to take on that specific section and he told me after he had finished it, he never thought his talents would meet that specific subject matter,” Smith said.
The episode also marks the first time that audiences see Oscar bond with BeBe. “It took this journey with them,” said Smith. “This is Oscar’s only son and I think all those emotions were hitting him at that moment.”
Shared Peete, “That representation is so powerful because Black dads can struggle with [denial and acceptance]—and moms, too. Oscar is very stubborn and does not accept a whole lot; this is something that he had to really shift his heart to understand what he has moving forward. It was an amazing scene to see unfold before our eyes.”
Added Wright, “Another benefit that you may or may not have realized in the adult [autistic] community [is that] Black autistic men are the group that has the most to risk by being ‘out,’ and knowing who they are and recognizing themselves. So, showing a boy and a father bonding and discussing that, it paves the way for openness about growing into a Black autistic man.”
Both Farquhar and Smith are still overwhelmed with the positive reception from viewers long after the episode’s debut. “I hope to explore the BeBe character more,” Farquhar continued. “People come up to us all the time and say, ‘I want to tell you how much we love the BeBe episode,’ and how much they appreciate it.”
Season 1 and 2 of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder are available to stream on Disney+.