Michael J. Fox Receives Emotional Emmy Ovation as He Accepts Bob Hope Humanitarian Award

Michael J. Fox received two standing ovations at the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14, 2026, as he accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his decades of work supporting Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy.

Presented by his former The Good Wife co-star Julianna Margulies, the honor recognized Fox for his “transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy.” His acceptance speech became one of the ceremony’s most emotional moments as he reflected on his diagnosis, his career and the people who helped him keep moving forward.

Michael J. Fox Reflects on the Diagnosis That Changed His Life

Fox connected the award to the example set by its namesake, Bob Hope, whose commitment to helping others left a lasting impression on him.

The actor recalled that he initially kept his Parkinson’s diagnosis private after being diagnosed at age 29 in 1991. At the time, he worried that revealing the disease could affect his career and his relationship with audiences.

“Would they laugh if they knew I was sick?” Fox recalled wondering.

Instead, he said, the response from viewers gave him the confidence to continue.

He remembered realizing that the diagnosis had not taken away his ability to do what he loved. That support ultimately helped shape the way he approached Parkinson’s and his public life.

“Accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it,” Fox said. “It just meant I had to do everything I could for everyone living with this disease.”

From a Private Diagnosis to a Global Advocacy Mission

Fox publicly disclosed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1998. Two years later, he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, turning his personal experience into a long-term effort to accelerate research and pursue a cure.

During his Emmy speech, Fox expressed pride in the progress made through the foundation and thanked the staff, donors, researchers and patient community who have contributed to its work.

The foundation has since become the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s research, with more than $3 billion supported in research programs, according to the Television Academy.

“I set out to advocate for Parkinson’s disease and raise money,” Fox said. “I found people to lead the effort for me and vowed to fund the best science in the world.”

He also emphasized that the work is ultimately about the people living with the disease and the families affected by it.

A Tribute to Tracy Pollan and His Family

Fox also used the emotional moment to recognize the people closest to him.

He thanked his wife, Tracy Pollan, and their four children, Sam, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé, for their sacrifices, patience and love throughout his journey.

Fox and Pollan attended the 2026 Emmys together, marking their first appearance at the ceremony in 13 years. The couple, who married in 1988 after meeting while working on Family Ties, coordinated in black on the red carpet.

He also thanked his parents and siblings before returning to the influence of Bob Hope, saying the legendary entertainer had shown him how humanitarian work could make a lasting difference.

Fox’s Return to Acting Brings Another Emmy Nomination

The humanitarian honor came during another significant year in Fox’s television career.

The five-time Emmy winner received his 19th career Emmy nomination for his guest role as Gerry in the third season of Apple TV+’s Shrinking. The role marked his return to acting after he stepped back from regular work in 2020 because Parkinson’s had made memorizing lines increasingly difficult.

Fox ultimately lost the guest acting award to Rob Reiner, who received the honor posthumously.

His appearance on Shrinking nevertheless added another chapter to a television career that began with Family Ties and included five Emmy wins, along with memorable roles in Spin City and numerous other series.

An Award Built Around a Legacy of Service

The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was first presented in 2002 and honors a television industry figure whose humanitarian work reflects Bob Hope’s legacy of philanthropy and service.

Fox joins previous recipients including Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. The Television Academy and the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation jointly select the recipient based on humanitarian contributions and lasting impact on society.

For Fox, the honor brought together two defining parts of his life: the television career that made him famous and the Parkinson’s advocacy work that became his mission.

As the audience rose to its feet, his message remained focused not on what Parkinson’s had taken from him, but on what could still be done for the millions of people living with the disease.