Michael J. Fox on Parkinson’s Disease: ‘I Get Through It’

Michael J. Fox continues to inspire millions through his acting career, even while battling Parkinson’s disease, which he was diagnosed with in 1991.

“I wake up and get the message of what the day is gonna be like, and I try to adjust to it,” the 64-year-old movie icon told People. “I keep getting new challenges physically, and I get through it.”

The 2025 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient says he uses a wheelchair to get around and “it took some getting used to, but “you take the good, and you seize it."

Parkinson’s is a brain disease in which nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain die or become impaired. The damage worsens over time.

Regarding his distinguished career, Fox, who has starred in numerous television shows and blockbuster films, including Family Ties, Back to the Future and Stuart Little, says he still has more in the tank, even though he retired from acting in 2020. “I’m always retiring,” he joked.

Fox will return to television with a guest role in the upcoming third season of the Apple TV+ dramedy Shrinking, which stars Harrison Ford, 83, who plays a therapist with Parkinson’s. The show was loosely inspired by Fox, who will play a character with the same brain disease.

“It was the first time ever I get to show up on-set and I didn’t have to worry about Am I too tired or coughing or anything,” he said. “I just do it.”

He also has a new memoir, titled Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum, coming out October 14. It covers his experience playing Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties and Marty McFly in Back to the Future at the same time.

In a 2021 conversation with AARP, the Grammy Award–winning artist admitted that he “used to avoid watching myself on TV shows” when he was younger because he was “healthier then and showed no signs of Parkinson’s.” 

“But I wondered about [boxing legend Muhammad] Ali, whom I had become friendly with,” he said. “He’d been such a beautiful athlete before Parkinson’s. So, after he died, I asked his wife, Lonnie, if he ever watched recordings of his fights. ‘He watched for hours,’ she said. ‘He loved it!’ And I thought, Yeah, I should love it, too.”

Future Boy by Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry

Flatiron Books

He also provided a detailed description of how he manages Parkinson’s. 

“I’ve ceded a lot of things over,” Fox said. “If I feel at all rushed and I have to do something multiple times, it’s just not going to serve me. When I was putting on my shoes the other day, Tracy said, ‘You want some help with that?’ I said, ‘Well, it will take me a couple of minutes to put my shoes on. If you do it, it’ll take a minute.’ So, you weigh it up. 

Among the things that bother me the most right now is how hard it is to communicate quickly through electronic means. Voice-enabled technology just isn’t good enough. You say, ‘I’m catching a lot of s--- for that’ and wind up with ‘I’m flying on a ship tomorrow.’ It’s so frustrating. 

AARP provides more information about Parkinson’s, including 12 self-care tips and the importance of exercise in managing the disease.