Kerrie Joyce 
Love on the Spectrum U.S. is a documentary-style series on Netflix that follows the lives of adults on the autism spectrum. More specifically, the show documents their journeys of navigating romantic relationships. Now on its third season, the show features couples who have celebrated three-year anniversaries, proving that finding love in a challenging modern dating landscape is possible for people on the spectrum and neurotypicals alike. To make the show accurate and accommodating to the experiences of people with neurodivergence, Netflix works with autism experts and consultants both on and off screen, including Jersey City’s own Dr. Kerry Magro. Read on to learn more about Dr. Kerry Magro’s career as an autism consultant and his contribution to the television series Love on the Spectrum U.S.
Photo Credit: Lawza Photography
Hudson County Roots
Kerry describes himself as “born and raised” in Jersey City, and has observed the evolution of Hudson County into becoming an increasingly neurodivergent-friendly place. He also lived in Hoboken for seven years, but has recently returned to Jersey City to move in with his fiancé.
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Growing up in Jersey City, Kerry was nonverbal until he was 2.5 years old, diagnosed with autism at four years old, and didn’t speak in complete sentences until he was seven. Today, he has a doctorate in education, is an award-winning professional public speaker, best-selling author, and autism consultant for the Emmy award-winning Netflix series Love on the Spectrum U.S.
Kerry received his doctorate at New Jersey City University in Educational Technology and Leadership in 2019, intending to eventually become a professor to teach about people with learning differences, such as autism.
The Role of Autism Consultants in Movies + TV
At 26, Kerry published a book titled Autism and Falling in Love, and has always had a “Unique passion of supporting autistic individuals, and anyone who wants to pursue love and romantic relationships.” Upon seeing Love on the Spectrum Australia, Kerry got in touch with the director and eventually became a part of the process for bringing the show to the U.S., being offered a role as an autism consultant for the show. He has been an autism consultant since 2012, and has worked on other productions including Joyful Noise featuring Queen Latifah and the HBO series Mrs. Fletcher. Kerry detailed how his areas of expertise synthesized into working for the show, saying,“Being someone who has helped people on the autism spectrum pursue romantic relationships, but also my work on the screen in the entertainment world, it was just a natural thing.”
Photo Credit: Kerry Magro
Kerry described himself as a “soundboard” for the director and crew of the series to best and most authentically portray autistic individuals. “As someone on the autism spectrum myself, to be able to help people, especially those who might not have a personal connection to the autism and neurodiverse community, to better understand so that the people on the show can have the best experience possible,” he said.
Kerry further detailed his role as an autism consultant in previous productions like Joyful Noise, revising the script to more accurately depict an autistic character. Pivoting from fictional works advising actors on how to portray autism to working on a documentary series highlighting people who truly are on the spectrum, Kerry said “What you see on Love on the Spectrum is 100% real. Real dates, real romance. What I do is facilitate an Autism Sensitivity Training session for the entire crew before each season so that they can consider some of the sensory considerations for cast members when they are on specific dates. I also help the director with any specific question when it comes to sensory-friendly dates, questions to ask cast members when they are filming and doing their interviews, to make sure that they feel comfortable.”
Kerry also described the overwhelming success of the show, saying, “I cannot tell you how rewarding it has been. It has been phenomenal, not only from the perspective of seeing these individuals find romance or even relationships in some instances, but also the people who have supported their journey after the show. People like Abbey started off with only a few thousand social media followers, and now she has over one million on Instagram and three million on TikTok. It just goes to show the power and impact that this show has had, not only to make autistic people feel represented, but even people outside of the autism world have fallen in love with these individuals’ stories.”
The show’s impact has been a positive experience for audiences, Kerry said, and it has also opened up a world of employment opportunities for cast members. “I have a full-time job as a professional speaker, so I travel the globe speaking about autism and neurodiversity. Ironically enough, for Autism Acceptance Month this April, I was the opening keynote speaker at the Autism Conference in North Carolina, and Tanner Smith, who is an incredible individual on the show and has never spoken at a conference before, was the closing keynote.”
While not much yet can be revealed about the fourth season of Love on The Spectrum U.S., Kerry said, “I am so thrilled to see more individuals be able to find their person.I feel like what connects most of us in this world is wanting to find meaningful connections, be that friendships or relationships. Autism being a social communication disorder, it’s been truly remarkable to see how many people have gotten behind our show, told their friends about it, and turned the cast into social media superstars.”
Love on the Spectrum U.S. won five primetime Emmy Awards in its first two seasons and in the third season, was in Netflix’s Top 10 Shows for three consecutive weeks.
Kerry’s Career Endeavors Outside Love on The Spectrum
Aside from his work in the entertainment industry, Kerry’s main career focus is in public speaking, speaking at over 125 public speaking engagements this year, and 1,400 total. Kerry became a public speaker through his love of theater, which began at the age of five, an interest that helped him build communication and social skills by playing characters. Kerry performed in over 20 plays before graduating from high school. He eventually discovered that it was possible to have a career as a public speaker after discovering Tedx Talks, of which he would eventually give two, in addition to a Talks at Google presentation.
Photo Credit: Kerry Magro
Kerry is also CEO and President of KFM Making a Difference, a nonprofit organization that hosts inclusion events and provides scholarships for autistic students. Dr. Kerry Magro’s books include Defining Autism from The Heart, Autism and Falling in Love, I Will Light It Up Blue, Autistics on Autism, Supporting Your Autism Journey, Santa Goes The Extra Mile for Children With Disabilities, and his latest, Autistics on Autism: The Next Chapter.
Kerry has also worked as a writer for the PBS Kids new series, Carl the Collector, featuring PBS’s first autistic main character.
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While his main focus is on his work as a public speaker, Kerry stated that he would eventually want to work as an educator to teach about the autistic community. Crediting theater as the medium where he was able to “find his voice”, Kerry is also in the process of returning to his roots, saying, “I’m actually auditioning for a few films and TV shows currently to get back in front of the screen. I haven’t had any bites yet, but I’m optimistic that my time will come.”
