RFK and others speaking detrimentally about autism ‘changes the way I have to engage in that. I do have to be aware of my power and speak up on those things.’
By Nick A. Zaino III Globe correspondent,Updated July 21, 2026, 9:00 a.m.
Ron Funches’s fans know he’s delightful. As a stand-up, he is confident but warm. The lilt in his voice sells his punch lines and invites listeners to get to know him. Those qualities helped him land roles on series like “Loot” (on which his character was called “aggressively whimsical” by Destiny, his character’s love interest) and voice roleson franchises like “Trolls” and “Inside Out.” So fans who were already enamored with him might have thought all of his fellow contestants on the reality show “The Traitors” would love him, too.
No such luck. The object of the show is for a group of players, called the “Faithful,” to root out the players among them secretly designated “Traitors,” who decide, also in secret, which of the Faithful to eliminate every week. As it turns out, being a nice guy doesn’t help your chances of winning.
Funches, who appeared alongside Donna Kelce (mother of NFL players Travis and Jason), Maura Higgins of “Love Island,” and Candiace Dillard Bassett of “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” was frequently targeted and harangued by his fellow Faithfuls in debate rounds, where the group had to decide who to accuse of being a Traitor. They were suspicious of the fact he wasn’t much into small talk or giving out personal details.
For someone who loves the gentility of “The Great British Bake Off,” it was a bit of a shock. “I was going into their world, and I didn’t do enough research of what that world is like,” said Funches, speaking via Zoom. “That’s how they get down, and it works for them. But I like trying new things.”