Michael J. Fox was honoured on 14 September 2026 with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards for helping drive Parkinson's research. The 65-year-old was wheeled on stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles to a standing ovation.

The Television Academy cited Fox's transformative contributions, noting that the foundation he launched in 2000 has invested more than £2.2 billion ($3 billion) in Parkinson's research. He then explained why he hid his diagnosis for seven years.

Fox Reveals Why He Hid His Parkinson's Diagnosis

Fox said he kept the illness secret after being diagnosed at 29 in 1991 during filming of Doc Hollywood.

'Initially, I kept my Parkinson's diagnosis a secret,' he said. 'I worried it would affect my work and my relationships with audiences. Would they laugh if they knew I was sick?'

He went public in 1998 while starring in Spin City. Support from audiences, he said, was so uplifting he felt he had not lost what he did and no one could take it away.

Accepting Parkinson's did not mean surrendering to it. It meant doing all he could for people living with the disease.

He left Spin City in 2000 as his Parkinson's symptoms progressed and increasingly focused on advocacy and research through the foundation he launched that year.

Fox had five earlier Emmy wins and earned his 19th nomination this year for a guest role in Apple TV+ series Shrinking.

How Michael J. Fox Helped Drive Parkinson's Research Funding

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is the world's largest nonprofit funder of the field and has supported more than £2.2 billion ($3 billion) in research since 2000, according to official figures from the group and the Television Academy.

Chair Cris Abrego said Fox showed extraordinary leadership in advancing research, transforming public awareness and inspiring global support.

The foundation reports more than 180 drugs in or entering human testing and validation of a biomarker able to detect Parkinson's biology before symptoms appear. Fox said he found people to lead the effort and vowed to fund the best science in the world.

The award, established in 2002, is presented only occasionally and had previously been awarded to five recipients before Fox.

Award Night Tribute and Family Sacrifices

Julianna Margulies, his former Good Wife co-star, presented the honour after a video montage of his career and advocacy. Past recipients include Oprah Winfrey, Danny Thomas, George Clooney and Sean Penn.

Fox spoke of Bob Hope entertaining troops in Berlin and Saigon on holidays when he could have stayed with family, then thanked wife Tracy Pollan and children Sam, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé for their sacrifices and love.

Mariska Hargitay hosted the live NBC telecast on Monday night. Fox, newly honoured, said he was proud of progress for patients and families as science moves closer to eradicating Parkinson's.

The foundation continues to fund clinical trials and patient-led research from its New York offices as donors worldwide keep backing the work.

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