Wikipedia

Abbey Romeo

Abbey Romeo (born May 17, 1998) is an American autistic television personality, social media content creator and musical artist.

Abbey Romeo
Born
Abbey Romeo

(1998-05-17) May 17, 1998 (age 28)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • TV personality
  • social media influencer
  • musical artist
  • hatmaker
Years active2020–present
Parents

She is best known for appearing on all 4 seasons of Netflix's Love on the Spectrum.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Abbey Romeo was born on May 17, 1998 in Los Angeles California.[1][2] She is the daughter of Christine Romeo and Eric Lutes, who both worked as TV and film actors.[3] She also has one younger brother.[4]

Romeo was diagnosed with autism at 2 and a half years old[5][6] after her parents noticed various signs of autism early on, such as sleep issues around 14 to 16 months old and tactile input-seeking behavior in which she would put lots of things in her mouth, beginning at around 19 months old.[7][8] A pediatrician her father had consulted had dismissed these signs as typical development.[6]

Soon after starting preschool at about 2 years and 4 months old, according to her mother, "they called and said she couldn’t stay because it was dangerous." Soon after she was diagnosed with autism.[6] Following Romeo's diagnosis, her mother enrolled her in Floortime therapy; after 15 months, she showed no progress. Romeo's mother switched her to applied behavior analysis (ABA) against the advice of her developmental pediatrician, who likened it to dog training, after she continued to be isolated and alone during that therapy. Romeo has said she enjoyed the food reinforcers ABA practitioners rewarded her with, such as Goldfish crackers and M&M's.[9] ABA is a controversial operant-conditioning system commonly marketed as a treatment for autism and widely rejected within the autistic rights movement.[10][11][12]

Romeo later attended a mainstream school through second grade and then attended a school for children with autism until the 8th grade.[1] In 8th grade her mother put her in a vocational program that focused on job and life skills.[4][6] After high school, she continued to attend that vocational program, until she graduated from it in 2020.[1][6][13]

Romeo has also spent over 22 years in speech therapy and 15 years in occupational therapy, and has stated that she continues to participate in therapeutic services.[14][15]

Career

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Romeo was scouted for Love on the Spectrum in 2021 by the show's co-creator and producer Cian O'Clery. He had previously met her at Spectrum Laboratory in Los Angeles, where she was a member of a performing arts program.[16][7]

Romeo began making music while participating in Spectrum Laboratory's film and music program. With help from the program, she wrote lyrics and released a music video for her first original song "The Girl Inside" in 2016.[17][18]

In 2020 she produced and uploaded several music videos for original songs she had written to her YouTube Channel.

During the third season of Love on the Spectrum she debuted her original song "Boyfriend Forever".[19] In May 2025 she made her television musical debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show in which she performed that same song.[20][21][22][23]

Personal life

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Romeo began dating David Isaacman in 2021, whom she met while appearing on the Netflix show Love on the Spectrum. They broke up in April 2026.[15][24][25][19][26]

Romeo has also enjoyed knitting; she adapted an interest in the craft during vocational school and has been doing so as a hobby for many years. She later started selling knitted hats under the brand Made by Abbey.[7][27]

Discography

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Singles

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  • "The Girl Inside" (2016)
  • “Food Wrap” (2020)
  • “Waterslide” (2022)
  • “Hot Lava” (2022)
  • “Categories” (2024)
  • “Boyfriend Forever” (2025)
  • “Right Here Right Now” (2026)

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Sainez, Brianna (2025-04-09). "Who Is Abbey Romeo From Love on the Spectrum? Meet the Show's Star". InTouch Weekly. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  2. 1 2 Shilliday, Beth (2025-05-09). "How Old Are Love on the Spectrum Stars? Cast Ages Revealed". InTouch Weekly. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  3. ↑ King, Samantha (2025-04-17). "Love on the Spectrum star's parents are famous actors and fans never knew". Surrey Live. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  4. 1 2 Burch, Kelly. "When my daughter was diagnosed with autism at age 2, I never imagined she'd own a business and be a reality TV star". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  5. ↑ "Love on the Spectrum's Abbey Romeo Recalls Feeling 'Isolated and Alone' Growing Up with Autism". People.com. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Voorst, Lindsay Van (2024-05-30). "Abbey - Love On The Spectrum". Autism Little Learners. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  7. 1 2 3 Or-El, Ayala (2024-08-31). "How 'Love on the Spectrum' Star Transformed a Hobby Into a Business". Collider. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  8. ↑ Ehlers, Ainsley (2026-04-02). One-on-one with ‘Love on the Spectrum’ star Abbey Romeo | CNN. Retrieved 2026-04-04 – via www.cnn.com.
  9. ↑ Autism Speaks (2024-12-06). Love, Music, and Autism Advocacy-A Conversation with Abbey Romeo and Her Mom, Christine. Event occurs at 18:15. Retrieved 2026-04-10 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Winter, Jessica (2024-02-12). "The Argument Over a Long-Standing Autism Intervention". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  11. ↑ Hawkins, Beth (2024-03-06). "America's Most Popular Autism Therapy May Not Work — and May Seriously Harm Patients' Mental Health". The 74. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  12. ↑ DeVita-Raeburn, Elizabeth (2016-08-10). "The controversy over autism's most common therapy". The Transmitter. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  13. ↑ Hats By Abbey (2020-07-05). Abbey's graduation speech ( in the backyard) 2020. Retrieved 2026-05-03 – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ Williams, Helen (2025-04-22). "Love on the Spectrum's Abbey opens up about 22-year-long battle to get where she is today". Reality Shrine. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  15. 1 2 "EXCLUSIVE: Abbey and David met on 'Love on the Spectrum.' What's next for them?". TODAY.com. 2025-04-02. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  16. ↑ Dickson, Ej (2024-03-12). "Meet Abbey Romeo, Half of the 'Love on the Spectrum' Super Couple". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  17. ↑ Tetreault, Donna (2017-03-27). "Arts and Imagination for Kids With Disabilities and Special Needs". L.A. Parent. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  18. ↑ Spectrum Laboratory (2016-06-06). "The Girl Inside" by Abbey Romeo, who put her feelings about autism to music at Spectrum Laboratory. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via YouTube.
  19. 1 2 Perlmutter, Rebecca. "'Love on the Spectrum' Season 3 Cast Now: Which Couples Are Still Together and More". Swooon. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  20. ↑ "'Love on the Spectrum' star Abbey Romeo to perform at the OC Fair". Orange County Register. 2025-07-30. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  21. ↑ "Love on the Spectrum's Abbey Shows Off Pure, Amazing Voice Singing "Boyfriend Forever"". NBC. 2025-05-06. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  22. ↑ Medina, Joel (2025-05-08). "'Love on the Spectrum' Star Abbey Romeo Makes Her Musical Debut on the 'Kelly Clarkson Show'". Collider. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  23. ↑ "Love On The Spectrum Star Abbey Romeo Got To Sing Her Original Song On The Kelly Clarkson Show". stereogum.com. 2025-05-06. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  24. ↑ "Love on the Spectrum's Abbey Romeo Reveals She Wants to Marry Costar David Isaacman — and How She Envisions Their Wedding". People.com. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  25. ↑ Vulpo, Mike (2025-10-16). "Love on the Spectrum's Abbey Romeo Shares Honest Relationship Update". Us Weekly. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  26. ↑ Crabtree, Erin (2026-04-10). "'Love on the Spectrum' Stars Abbey Romeo and David Isaacman Split After Nearly 5 Years of Dating: Reports". Us Weekly. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  27. ↑ "Made by Abbey". Made by Abbey. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
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