Stevie Wonder addresses longstanding rumors about his blindness

Stevie Wonder, an American-Ghanaian singer-songwriter and musician, recently addressed a longstanding conspiracy theory suggesting he’s not blind.

During a heartfelt moment at his recent concert in Cardiff, Wales, which is a part of his Love, Light & Song U.K. tour, the 74-year-old icon took a moment to speak directly to the audience about the rumour that has followed him for much of his six-decade-long career.

“I must say to all of you, something that I was thinking, ‘When did I want to let the world know this?’ But I wanted to say it right now,” Wonder began by saying. “You know there have been rumours about me seeing and all that? But seriously, you know the truth.”

He continued, “Truth is, shortly after my birth, I became blind. Now, that was a blessing because it’s allowed me to see the world in the vision of truth, of sight. See people in the spirit of them, not how they look. Not what colour they are, but what colour is their spirit?”

For those unversed, Wonder was born six weeks premature, and lost his vision shortly after birth due to a condition known as retinopathy of prematurity. Despite this, he launched a remarkable music career at the age of 11, eventually becoming one of the most celebrated artists of all time.

Over the years, however, lighthearted rumours about his blindness has been shared by celebrities and fans alike. 

In 2019, Shaquille O’Neal famously claimed that Wonder recognised him in an elevator. And in 2016, comedian Anthony Anderson joked on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “What y’all don’t know is, Stevie can see. It’s just an act.”