Michael J. Fox, the 65-year-old actor, told People magazine in an exclusive interview published Sept. 9, 2026, that “Of course, things have gotten harder over the years” with Parkinson’s disease.
The interview, devoted to his life with the disease, ran the same day he was named the 2026 recipient of the Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award.
Fox added in the same conversation that he keeps working at the problem: “I’m privileged to commit my time and energy to bringing everything I’ve got to help cure this disease.”
Doctors delivered the diagnosis in 1991, when Fox was 29, and one of them predicted he had roughly a decade of acting left. Fox kept the news private until 1998. His symptoms over the years have included tremors, rigidity and difficulty speaking.
Fox stepped away from full-time acting in 2000, after leaving “Spin City.” By 2020, he said, memorizing lines had become a new obstacle. The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes Parkinson’s as a nervous system disorder that affects movement, grows worse over time and shows up differently from one person to the next.
“America’s Nobel” and a $250,000 Honorarium
The Lasker Foundation presented its 2026 prizes at a gala in New York City on Sept. 17. Fox, its citation said, had dispelled the stigma of the disease and spearheaded a revolution in Parkinson’s research.
The foundation has given more than 400 prizes since 1945, and the award, sometimes called America’s Nobel, carries an honorarium of $250,000 per category. Past recipients of the public service award include Bill and Melinda Gates and the late Christopher Reeve.
Dimitri Krainc, MD, PhD, the president of the American Neurological Association, wrote a commentary on Fox’s Lasker award in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. “Michael recognized that patients themselves are indispensable partners in scientific discovery,” he wrote, adding: “For those living with Parkinson’s disease today, Michael J. Fox represents hope. For their families, he represents courage in the face of uncertainty. For researchers, he represents partnership.”
The World Parkinson Congress called the Lasker honor “well-deserved recognition,” celebrating Fox’s vision and his commitment to collaboration. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) carried both the commentary and the congress’ words on its award page.
The nomination came from Randy Schekman, a Nobel and Lasker laureate, who wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: “Fox’s commitment and integrity have altered the landscape of inquiry into the clinical and basic science of PD.”
Fox said, “Receiving a Lasker is humbling,” adding that he shares the honor with the scientists, policymakers, patients and families working alongside him.
Chasing a $2.5 Billion Goal
Fox co-founded MJFF in 2000 with Debi Brooks, now its chief executive, and it has funded more than $3 billion in research worldwide. Some of that work has run through the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s initiative, supported by the Sergey Brin Family Foundation.
MJFF says the research ecosystem it backed contributed to 23 new drug approvals over the past decade, with 175 more currently in clinical testing.
Fox described to People the preparation behind a $2.5 billion campaign, which the foundation launched Sept. 17 under the name “All Grit. No Quit.” It had already raised more than $1.75 billion at launch, drawing on a community of nearly four million people and 1.2 million donors since inception.
Congress heard Fox’s testimony in 1999, when he urged greater federal investment. Advocates mobilized later by the foundation backed the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, which became law in July 2024.
A Guest Role Opposite Harrison Ford
Apple TV’s “Shrinking” handed Fox a route back to a set, and he guest starred in its third season as Gerry, a man living with Parkinson’s. Harrison Ford plays opposite him as Paul Rhoades, a character who also has the disease.
The part, Fox told People, let him show up on set as himself, and he called the experience insanely fun. Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel co-created the series, whose third season ran Jan. 28 to April 8 and which has been renewed for a fourth.
The role brought Fox a 2026 Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series. The late Rob Reiner won the award, for “The Bear.”
Close to a Cure, No Timetable
The 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 saw Fox accept the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Addressing the room, he said he initially kept his diagnosis secret, fearing what it would do to his work, and thanked audiences for standing by him. His foundation, he said, is close to a cure.
Parkinson’s has no cure, federal health authorities continue to state, and available treatments manage symptoms. Researchers cannot pinpoint when one might arrive, Fox said, offering People no timetable.
Living with the disease, Fox told the magazine, gives him a direct understanding of the urgency patients and their families feel. He began speaking publicly, he said, because his name could draw attention to the cause.