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The World's First Female Speech Therapist

Charles Van Riper was renowned in the field of speech pathology. His wife, Catherine Jane “Katy” “C.J.” Hull Van Riper, was a pioneer in her own right.
One Size Does Not Fit All

John Stossel and Emily Blunt discuss their stuttering struggles and strategies.
The Legacy of King’s Speech Screenwriter David Seidler: “We have a voice. We have been heard.”

With profound sadness, we share news of the passing of David Seidler.
Winter Magazine

Check out letters and drawings from kids in this special edition. PLUS, we have new activity pages.
75 Must-Use Resources for the Stuttering Community

To continue our celebration of The Stuttering Foundation’s 75^th Anniversary, we offer our list of 75 critical resources.
Actions: Performance as the Muse of Fluency

For many years, I chose not to make music around my stutter because I didn’t understand it.
John Garfield

Hollywood's original method actor had an amazing and short career as a star. He had many impressive movie roles but his untimely death from a heart attack in 1952 at age 39 meant that his highly successful career was abruptly stopped in its tracks.
Do the Best with the Knowledge You Have

“Remember that you played the best you could with what you knew at the time." - Owen Knight Survivor 43 finalist
Help for Those Who Stutter is as Close as Your Local Library

For decades, The Stuttering Foundation has made its books and videos available for free to public libraries across the country.
Singers Share Their Stories

Stuttering Foundation sits down with Amanda Mammana from America's Got Talent and Marybeth Byrd from American Idol

Archived Articles

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, was well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones spoke some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.

Famous People Who Stutter