Ron Funches Celebrates His Son Malcolm on Autism Awareness Day: 'Teaches Me So Much Every Day'

Ron Funches is celebrating his son on Autism Awareness Day.

The comedian, 39, shared a tribute to his 18-year-old son, Malcolm, with a sweet Instagram post on Saturday. In the photo, the father-son duo both grin with their arms crossed for the camera while standing back-to-back in sweatshirts.

"Happy Autism Awareness Day! Thank you to my son who brought autism awareness into my life, and continually teaches me so much every day," Ron wrote in the caption.

"If you have the means, please donate to @nextforautism," he continued. "Their organization is working towards transforming the national landscape of services for people with autism."

World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized holiday intended to raise awareness for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It has been celebrated since 2008 and takes place annually on April 2.

Ron also noted that he shared the link to donate to Next for Autism in his Instagram bio as well.

Next for Autism, which was founded in 2003, was formed to "advance the field of autism services and challenge the status quo" and to "create and support exemplary, innovative programs that would improve the lives of individuals and families living with autism," according to the organization's official website.

Ron previously opened up about raising Malcolm while appearing on Conan O'Brien's Conan in 2020, where he discussed the importance of keeping his son safe.

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"It's one of the most motivating things in my life because of him being mixed race and having autism … he doesn't follow directions as easily," he said of Malcolm. "He doesn't respond to directions as quickly as some people would like, and I was always concerned that if he was in an altercation with a police officer that that could mean the end of his life."

Ron said he hired a nanny for Malcolm "just to make sure that someone is with him." He explained, "It's not because he's not independent, he's very independent — it's a lot to do with my fear about what could happen with misunderstandings with others, especially people like the police, people with power."

The actor celebrated two major milestones with Malcolm last year. When his son graduated high school in June 2021, he posted a photo to Instagram of himself and Malcolm, who was dressed in his cap and gown, captioning the snap, "So proud of my son and of myself. Nothing stops our grind. #graduation2021 #autismdad #singledad."

For Malcolm's 18th birthday in April 2021, Ron shared a photo of his son posing with two silver balloons spelling out "18." In a separate post, he shared a throwback photo of his son as a child, plus a photo of Malcolm taken more recently.

"Happy 18th birthday Malcolm. You're the best man I know. It's been a gift to raise you and it's my pleasure to make sure you have a space in this world to thrive as an individual," Ron wrote.