Rescue Me star Denis Leary angered parents with the release of his book, Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Stay Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid. Leary stated in the book that autism is a result of "inattentive mothers and competitive dads who want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kid can't compete academically."The Huffington Post: Denis Leary Slams Autism As A Joke (October 15, 2008) The Autism Society of America responded by calling Leary's claims "ridiculous."PopCrunch: Denis Leary: Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid? (October 15, 2008)

"There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can't compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks, to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons."—Denis LearyFOX News: Leary Blames Autism on 'Inattentive Mothers' (October 15, 2008)

"For Mr. Leary to suggest that families or doctors conspire to falsely diagnose autism is ridiculous. [His] remarks reflect the same misconceptions of autism being caused by bad or unemotional parenting that were held over 50 years ago."—Autism Society of AmericaFOX News: Leary Blames Autism on 'Inattentive Mothers' (October 15, 2008)