Tearful Michael J. Fox receives standing ovation at 2026 Emmys for special award. “I understood that accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it.”
Michael J. Fox receives standing ovation after emotional revelation
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Michael J. Fox took to the stage at the 2026 Emmy Awards.
The 65-year-old actor, who has been living with Parkinson’s disease since 1991, received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award during Monday night’s ceremony in Los Angeles and shared his gratitude in an emotional speech.
Michael, who has received five Emmys over his career, revealed that he learnt by example from his award’s namesake.
“I couldn’t have known how these lessons would resonate in my own life, until my late 20s, when my life handed me a role I wasn’t looking for,” he shared.
“Initially I kept my Parkinson’s diagnosis a secret. I worried it would affect my work and relationships with audiences. Would they laugh if they knew I was sick?
I was stunned by the support from all of you, so uplifted and I hadn’t lost what I do. They couldn’t take it away from me. And it’s because you stood up for me. … I understood that accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it.
It just meant I had to do everything I could for everyone living with this disease.”
The Back To The Future star then opened up about how he set out to advocate for Parkinson’s disease and vowed to fund “the best science in the world”.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made to benefit Parkinson’s patients and families. We move closer to eradicating this disease forever. I’m deeply grateful to our staff, donors, researchers, and most of all the patient community who make our work at the Michael J. Fox foundation possible.”
Michael was also sure to thank his beloved wife Tracy Pollan and their four children Sam, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé for their “sacrifices and their love” throughout his Parkinson’s battle, adding “You have no idea.”
The actor was also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on Shrinking but missed out The Bear‘s Rob Reiner who died in December 2025.
This isn’t Michael J. Fox’s only prestigious award for his humanitarian work; in 2022 he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which honours individuals “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry,” for his work with The Michael J. Fox Foundation.