O’Connell is openly gay and his on-screen counterpart actively searches for a male companion, encouraged by his friends Kim and Carey. Starring Ryan O’Connell and based on his memoir I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, the dramedy series Special is a semi-autobiographical account of Ryan’s life as a gay man with cerebral palsy as he pursues new friendships, relationships, and self-sufficiency.
