Michael J. Fox brought several celebrity guests to tears at the 2026 Emmys on Monday as he accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.
The 65-year-old Back to the Future star, who had earlier posed proudly with his family, became visibly emotional as he reflected on receiving his Parkinson’s diagnosis at 29 and the fear that the condition could end his acting career. Among those moved by his speech were his Shrinking co-star Harrison Ford and Nicole Kidman.
Fox was brought onto the stage in a wheelchair, where he was joined by presenter Julianna Margulies, his former co-star on The Good Wife.
“Thank you to everyone at the Television Academy for this extraordinary and humbling honor,” Fox said. He then turned his attention to Bob Hope, explaining that his parents had grown up during the Great Depression.
“To them, Bob was far more than an entertainer,” Fox said. “For decades, he was a selfless champion of soldiers and military families like mine. While he could have been spending Christmas, Thanksgiving and other holidays with his own family, he was visiting troops in Berlin and Saigon—often with a turkey leg, a golf club and, if you were lucky, a joke. He represented the values I would come to embrace years later.”
“I learned from his example, though I could not have known how deeply those lessons would shape my own life. That became clear in my late 20s, when life handed me a role I had never sought.”
Michael J. Fox moved celebrity guests at the 2026 Emmys as he accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award during Monday’s ceremony.
The 65-year-old Back to the Future star brought guests including his Shrinking co-star Harrison Ford to tears while recalling his Parkinson’s diagnosis at age 29.
Fox’s wife, Tracy Pollan, and their four children watched the emotional tribute from the audience.
Recalling the beginning of his experience with Parkinson’s, Fox said he initially kept the diagnosis private because he feared it would damage his career and his connection with audiences. “Would people still laugh if they knew I was sick?” he remembered wondering.
Instead, Fox said, he was overwhelmed by the public’s support. “I was stunned and uplifted by all of you,” he said. “I had not lost the thing I do. You couldn’t take it away from me, because you stood up for me. I’m grateful.”
Accepting Parkinson’s, he added, did not mean surrendering to the disease. It meant committing himself to doing everything possible for the millions of people living with it.
Fox said he began advocating for Parkinson’s research and raising funds after his diagnosis. He briefly faltered during the speech before continuing: “I found brilliant people to lead the effort.”
He pledged to support the best scientific research available and said he was proud of the progress made for Parkinson’s patients and their families.
“We are moving closer to eradicating this disease forever,” Fox said. He thanked the staff, donors, researchers and, above all, the patient community behind the work of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
‘And now the part where I thank Tracy and our kids. Aquinnah, Esmé, Schuyler, and Sam, for their sacrifices, for their patience, and for their love. You have no idea. And, of course, my mom and dad and my sisters and brother.’
Fox sat on a chair on the carpet as he posed with wife Tracey Pollan, 66, and their children, Sam, 37, twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, 31, and Esme, 24.
Fox said, ‘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?
Fox was taken onstage in a wheelchair, where he joined award presenter and his former The Good Wife co-star Julianna Margulies
Nicole Kidman looked visibly emotional as she watched Fox speak
Fox was supported by his wife and four children as he took to the Emmys 2026 red carpet on Monday
Fox received minutes of applause as he began his speech
Fox looked dapper in a black suit and tie as he joined his loved ones on the carpet, ahead of receiving the prestigious Bob Hope humanitarian award.
The award comes in recognition of his transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy.
The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was established in 2002 to honor a member of the telecommunications industry whose philanthropic efforts exemplify Bob Hope’s own decades-long altruism and positive impact on society.
Fox received his 19th Emmy nomination this year for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Shrinking, and is a five-time Emmy Award-winning actor.
The Back To The Future actor sat on a chair on the carpet amid his battle with Parkinson’s
Recently, Fox opened up about his return to acting and having to overcome Parkinson’s, which affects his ability to memorize lines.
The actor – who was diagnosed at the age of 29 with early-onset Parkinson’s in 1991 – revealed that he unretired from acting sooner than expected because his new character in Shrinking allowed him to ‘show up on set’ as himself.
Fox first retired in 2000, two years after publicly sharing his diagnosis. He did make several cameos on television series Scrubs and The Good Wife before being forced to take a break from acting again in 2020.
The talented actor explained his reasoning behind the decision to People, as he said: ‘A new variable emerged: my ability to memorize lines.
‘There’s a time for everything, and the time for 12-hour workdays was behind me.’
Fox joined Harrison Ford-led series Shrinking for season 3 earlier this year.
The Apple TV series was created by Fox’s pal Bill Lawrence, as he said he enjoyed having the freedom to ‘use how I feel on any given day and channel it into the scene.’
On the series, he portrays the character Gerry as he becomes friends with Ford’s character Dr Paul Rhoades, who is also navigating a Parkinson’s diagnosis.
Fox posed with wife Tracey Pollan, 66, and their children, Sam, 37, twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, 31, and Esme, 24
Fox looked dapper in a black suit and tie as he joined his loved ones on the carpet, ahead of receiving the prestigious Bob Hope humanitarian award
The couple proudly posed up together on the carpet
Michael J Fox, 65, revealed that he un-retired from acting sooner than expected because his new character in Shrinking allowed him to ‘show up on set’ as himself
The 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are taking place at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night.
Law & Order: SVU executive producer/star Mariska Hargitay is serving as host of the gala event which marks the first time a woman has hosted the show in 15 years.
Nominations for television’s biggest night were announced back in July as Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney, The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White, and Stranger Things as a whole were among the most shocking snubs.
The Pitt earned the most nods with the hit HBO Max medical drama earning a whopping 25 nominations, which was nearly double the 13 the show had last year.
The series earned 13 acting nods including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for star Noah Wyle and top honor Outstanding Drama.
The Pitt was followed closely by another HBO Max awards show darling, Hacks, which earned 24 nominations for its fifth and final season.
It is the most ever for a comedy as it beat out previous record holders The Bear and The Studio which had previously earned 23.
Nominations for television’s biggest night were announced back in July as Sydney Sweeney was one of the most shocking snubs for her work on the third and final season of Euphoria
The Pitt earned the most nods with the hit HBO Max medical drama earning a whopping 25 nominations including one for leading man Noah Wyle
The Pitt was followed closely by another HBO Max smash, Hacks, which earned 24 nominations for its fifth and final season (Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart are pictured)
Leading lady Jean Smart now has the chance to earn her fifth Emmy for the show and her eighth overall, which would put her in a tie for the actress with the most Emmy acting wins in history.
Apple TV comedy horror series Widow’s Bay had a strong showing for a newcomer as it earned 19 nods. The streamer also earned 18 nominations for drama Pluribus.
When it came to the limited/anthology series categories it was the second season of Netflix’s Beef which led the way with 16 nominations.
Streamers didn’t have all the success, however, as the most nominations on the broadcast network side went to iconic variety series Saturday Night Live which earned an impressive 11 nominations.
Apple TV comedy horror series Widow’s Bay had a strong showing for a newcomer as it earned 19 nods (Matthew Rhys is pictured)
Streamers didn’t have all the success, however, as the most nominations on the broadcast network side went to Saturday Night Live which earned an impressive 11 nominations
HBO Max earned the most nominations for any platform this year with an impressive 122 nods including 13 for DTF St. Louis.
This year, 555 programs were submitted across the 14 program categories, down 7.5% from last year’s 600 entrants.
That included 110 dramas, 71 comedies, 31 limited/anthology series, 34 movies, 18 variety series and 45 reality competition shows.
The two Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies took place last week on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6.
