"Sounds like the best father!" - Perez Hilton reacts after Brendan Fraser speaks candidly about his autistic son Griffin

Perez Hilton reacted after actor Brendan Fraser spoke candidly about his 23-year-old autistic son, Griffin. In an article published on his website, dated November 27, 2025, Hilton highlighted Fraser’s vulnerability, compassion, and desire to advocate for people on the autism spectrum.

“Brendan Fraser is opening up about his son Griffin… Aww!… So sweet. Brendan sounds like the best father! And what an important message to spread: we all deserve love no matter what obstacles we face in life,” the podcaster wrote.

In the article, Hilton also recapped Fraser’s appearance on the November 25 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

He explained that the 56-year-old actor became “emotional” while discussing his son and the personal significance behind his latest project, an upcoming short film he executive-produced titled Saving Superman. The film told the story of a “57-year-old Chicago resident named Jonathan who is on the autism spectrum.”

Hilton then cited Brendan Fraser’s explanation of the autistic character Jonathan, and added:

“Each summer, he wears his Superman costume, and he knows everything about Superman. His housing was being compromised. He was effectively not allowed to live in his apartment anymore. So he had friends, and the whole town rallied around him to support him having a lodging, a home.”

Reacting to Fraser’s description of the character, Hilton said it was a “heartwarming story”. He emphasized that it felt “very personal to Brendan” because his own “23-year-old son” was “also autistic,” like the subject of the film.

Hilton also explained that, during this interview, Fraser became visibly choked up, describing himself as the father of a child with special needs and stating that he wanted to participate in the project for that reason.

Hilton noted how Fraser had stressed the importance of doing better for “everyone” who “has a family on the spectrum” and that society in general needed to make “more services available to them.”

Commenting on Fraser’s emotional honesty, Hilton remarked:

“Aww… You can just see the love and passion in his eyes for this subject. So sweet.”

Brendan Fraser reflects on his autistic son, Griffin, during The Howard Stern Show

Long before Brendan Fraser's recent comments about his autistic son Griffin, Fraser had addressed the subject during an episode of The Howard Stern Show (as per a People Magazine report dated February 7, 2023).

At the time, he had explained how fatherhood influenced the way he connected with fans. Brendan Fraser noted that he often recognized fans who seemed to be on the spectrum and made an effort to engage with them.

“There’s just people who are, for whatever their personal reasons are, really fulfilled or happy to make your acquaintance, if only for a few moments. And I find that really gratifying and affirming, and sometimes there are those who I can clock from across a convention room hall, who I can tell right away, ‘He’s on the spectrum,’” Fraser said.

As the conversation progressed, Fraser elaborated on why he prioritized giving extra time and attention to certain fans, explaining that those moments of connection mattered deeply.

He emphasized that individuals with autism sometimes needed “a little more love” and described events as environments “where they belong,” reinforcing a sense of acceptance.

He continued by saying that he always stopped to acknowledge these fans despite the chaos surrounding celebrity culture. In his words, even amid all the “noise” and “hysteria,” those personal moments remained his priority.

Later in the interview, Fraser expanded on why these interactions had such a profound emotional impact on him. He said his empathy came from knowing firsthand what such gestures meant to families like his own. He explained:

“Because my oldest son is autistic, and I know how meaningful it is to their families and to them. It means a lot to feel like you can gratify someone just by showing up, it means a lot.”

Brendan Fraser then described the challenges many parents faced while advocating for their children’s needs. He explained that navigating the school system, confronting differing opinions, and dealing with “colorful people” along the way required patience and resilience.

Fraser also reflected on his emotional response when his son was first diagnosed. He recalled how, when he found out his "kid’s diagnosis at 22 or 24 months," he was "crestfallen, to say the least." He further added that the "first reaction" that he had was his desire to know "how to fix this", what the cure was, and what the disease meant.

He admitted that receiving the diagnosis felt like being blindsided, describing it as being hit “with a baseball bat.”

At the time, he was struggling with misplaced guilt, as he tried to understand if it was his “genealogy” or something he had done in his youth that had affected his son. He further added that searching for answers felt impossible, “like trying to get a straight answer out of a f**king leprechaun.”

Eventually, Fraser said he reached a place of acceptance and gratitude, and remarked:

“Then you learn quickly that I wouldn’t have any other way…This kid has the most joy on board of anyone I know, and he happens to be related to me as my son. I want to know what he thinks is so gut-bustingly funny all day long, in a genuine way, he’s cracking himself up. He loves to go for a ride in the car. It doesn’t matter where you’re taking him,” he explained.

Brendan Fraser described his son, Griffin’s, love of motion and routine, explaining that traveling, whether by car or plane, brought him comfort and happiness. He mentioned that his son would happily ride “big commuter flights” simply because those experiences brought him joy.

Brendan Fraser’s latest film, Rental Family, first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. It was later released in the United States on November 21, 2025.

Edited by Shayari Roy