Michael J. Fox has shared an update on his ongoing experience living with Parkinson’s disease, more than three decades after his diagnosis.
The Back to the Future star, 65, was first diagnosed with the neurodegenerative condition in 1991 at the age of 29.
In a new interview with People published Wednesday, Fox opened up about how he continues to navigate his health.
“I wake up and get the message of what the day is gonna be like, and I try to adjust to it,” he told the publication.
Parkinson’s disease causes progressive damage to the brain over time, often resulting in tremors, slowed movement and other mobility challenges.
“I keep getting new challenges physically, and I get through it,” Fox continued.
“I roll around in a wheelchair a lot, and it took some getting used to.”
While Fox announced his retirement from acting in 2020, he has since returned to the screen in the third season of the Apple TV+ comedy-drama Shrinking, which stars Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades, a character living with Parkinson’s.
Ford described Fox’s involvement in the series as “essential,” telling Variety, “He gives me both a physical representation of the disease to inform myself with, but more than that, he allows me to believe that Paul could believe that he could be adequate to the challenge.”
In addition to his television return, Fox has remained an active public figure, making appearances at events such as Glastonbury and major award ceremonies.
He last spoke publicly about his experience with Parkinson’s in November 2024, during the annual gathering of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which he founded to support research into the disease. At the time, he reflected on the importance of humour in facing life’s challenges.
He said that while maintaining his sense of humour can be “hard,” he strives to “keep it intact.”
Fox explained that by maintaining a darkly comedic outlook, he’s able to navigate difficult or awkward conversations.
“That’s true. And it’s OK,” he said at the event. “Let’s embrace that and make a difference.”
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight last year, the actor shared how his perception of Parkinson’s has evolved over the years, explaining that he no longer sees his condition as inherently negative.
“After 35 years or something since I’ve been diagnosed, this is just my life, and I don’t think about it much,” he said.
He added that while he doesn’t dwell on his personal circumstances, he continues to focus on the broader mission of finding a cure.
“I’m thinking about what we’re going to do as a community to figure this out and find a cure – and short of a cure, [create] treatment centres that are really groundbreaking,” he said.
Ultimately, Fox said Parkinson’s has become simply a part of who he is.
“Me personally, it’s just who I am, and the way I was built. And I’m necessarily trying to figure it out for me, I’m figuring it out for everybody. But it just is what it is.”
Images: Instagram
