Stevie Wonder addresses longstanding rumor that he's not really blind
Stevie Wonder addressed the longstanding rumor that he isn't actually blind during the Cardiff, Wales stop on his Love, Light and Song UK tour.
'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, 75, said as seen in an Instagram video from a concertgoer on July 10.
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'You know there have been rumors about me seeing and all that? But seriously, you know the truth.'
8 Stevie Wonder as a teen.
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8 Stevie Wonder in 1965.
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The musical legend then explained when he lost his sight.
'Truth is, shortly after my birth, I became blind,' Wonder continued. '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 color they are, but what color is their spirit?'
Over the years, many celebrities have made cracks about Wonder not really being blind.
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Anthony Anderson poked fun at the Grammy winner's condition while on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' in 2016.
'What y'all don't know is, Stevie can see,' the actor, 54, said while sharing the story of how he challenged Wonder to a basketball game. 'It's just an act.'
Three years later, Shaquille O'Neal claimed Wonder recognized him in an elevator.
8 Stevie Wonder at the 2025 BET Awards.
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The basketball star, 53, told his 'Inside the NBA' colleagues that he was in the lobby of his building when Wonder came over and said, 'What's up, Shaq?'
'[He] presses the button. Get's off on his floor. Goes to his room. I went and called every person I knew and told them the story,' he recalled. 'He got on the elevator and was like, 'What's up, Shaq? How you doing, big dog?''
The 'Superstition' musician, meanwhile, has been extremely open about his loss of vision.
8 Stevie Wonder in NYC in May 2025.
Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com/Shutterstock
In 2024, he shared how his mom, Lula Mae Hardaway, struggled with the news at first. Despite her reaction, Wonder kept a positive outlook.
'I was born. Shortly after that, I'm blind,' he expressed in an episode of 'The Wonder of Stevie' audiobook series. 'My mother went through the different things, and so my experience with that was deep.'
Wonder noted that his mother, who died in 2006, would cry 'every night' after he was diagnosed.
8 Stevie Wonder attends the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer finally said to her, 'Mama, you shouldn't cry, you're making my head hurt.'
'And I said, 'Maybe God has something for me that's bigger than all this,'' Wonder recounted. 'History proved that true.'
In 2004, he detailed his upbringing for O, The Oprah Magazine.
'She didn't bind me up. She wasn't like, 'Don't step there!' or 'Watch out, you'll fall!' She'd tell me to be careful, but I was going to do what I was going to do. She was just fast enough to catch me,' he said of his mother. 'She knew I had to learn — and the more she allowed me to do, the more she could let go. She saw that I'd developed what's called facial radar, meaning that I could hear the sound of objects around me. If you close your eyes and put your hands right in front of your face, then move your hands, you can actually hear the sound of the air bouncing off your hands.'
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The artist has also kept a great sense of humor regarding his disability.
8 Stevie Wonder performing at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post
Wonder got candid on his friendship with Jamie Foxx while presenting the actor with the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2025 BET Awards.
'He hit me up because of his win — Academy Award — for 'Ray.' And I said, 'You know Jamie, just because you play a blind man that don't mean that we're besties, okay?'' he joked at the time.
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Wonder went on to tease Foxx, 57, and his 'love for blind people.'
8 Stevie Wonder in 1971.
WireImage
The 'Isn't She Lovely' singer has won 25 Grammy awards throughout his career. Wonder also took home an Oscar in 1984 for Best Original Song 'I Just Called to Say I Love You' for the film 'The Woman in Red.'
The star has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame.
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Wonder has been married three times. He previously was married to singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright from 1970 to 1972, and fashion designer Kai Millard Morris from 2001 to 2015.
8 Stevie Wonder performs onstage during the FIREAID Benefit Concert for California.
Getty Images for FIREAID
Wonder has been married to Tomeeka Robyn Bracy since 2017.
He is also dad to nine kids.
'I give a lot of credit to the mothers of my children. They've raised the children well,' Wonder told Winfrey in 2004. 'But I'm not one of those fathers who just send money. I guide them as a father and talk to them as a friend. I always want my children to feel they can tell me anything.'
In 2014, he'd go on to joke about his big family on 'The View,' saying: 'I got, how many, 22 kids?'
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