Michael J. Fox Receives Double Standing Ovation at 2026 Emmys as He Thanks His Family for Their Sacrifices

Michael J. Fox turned one of the most emotional moments of the 2026 Emmy Awards into a tribute to the people who have stood beside him through decades of life with Parkinson’s disease.

The 65-year-old actor received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 14, honoring his long-running advocacy for people living with Parkinson’s and his efforts to accelerate research into the disease. He was met with a standing ovation when he took the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and the audience rose again at the end of his heartfelt speech.

The award was presented by Fox’s former The Good Wife costar Julianna Margulies.

Fox gives special thanks to Tracy Pollan and their four children

During his acceptance speech, Fox made a point of recognizing his wife of more than 30 years, Tracy Pollan, and their four adult children, Sam, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé.

“I thank Tracy and our kids for their sacrifices, for their patience and for their love. You have no idea,” Fox said.

He also thanked his parents and siblings for the support they have given him throughout his life.

Fox then spoke candidly about the uncertainty he felt when he first learned he had Parkinson’s disease. Rather than immediately making the diagnosis public, he kept it private because he worried that the disease could change how audiences viewed him and affect his career.

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

The response from viewers, he said, turned out to be very different from what he had feared.

“All of you are so uplifting and just made me feel like I could keep doing this,” Fox said. “I hadn’t lost what I do, and it couldn’t take it away from me. And it’s because you stood up for me.”

By the conclusion of his speech, the audience once again stood for Fox.

The Television Academy said the honor recognizes Fox’s transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy. The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was established in 2002 and is presented to a television-industry figure whose humanitarian work has had a lasting impact on society. Fox became the sixth person to receive the honor.

Turning a Parkinson’s diagnosis into a global advocacy effort

Fox publicly disclosed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1998. Two years later, he founded The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which has since become the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s research.

The foundation has funded more than $3 billion in research programs, supporting work aimed at improving treatments and ultimately finding a cure.

Fox has previously explained that his decision to become a public advocate was closely tied to his ability to use his celebrity to bring greater attention to the disease.

“[I knew] my name could attract attention to help us achieve our goals faster. But I also have this disease. I know the issues and I share my community’s sense of urgency,” he told PEOPLE earlier in September.

His role as a public advocate has also required him to remain visible while dealing with symptoms including tremors and balance problems.

“Of course, things have gotten harder over the years,” Fox acknowledged.

Even so, he said he considers it a privilege to devote his time and energy to the search for a cure.

“I’m privileged to commit my time and energy to bringing everything I’ve got to help cure this disease,” he said.

Another major honor arrives in 2026

The Emmy recognition came shortly after another significant honor for Fox.

The Lasker Foundation named him the recipient of the 2026 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award for his work in Parkinson’s disease research advocacy. The foundation cited his efforts to empower patients and accelerate research into better therapies and a cure.

Fox shared the recognition with the broader Parkinson’s community, saying the honor also belonged to “the researchers and clinicians on the front lines of cure hunting, and the patients and families who critically inform that mission.”

His Parkinson’s advocacy has brought him several major humanitarian honors over the years. In 2022, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Fox with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his work supporting Parkinson’s research.

The Television Academy also highlighted Fox’s influence when it announced the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in July.

“Michael J. Fox is one of television’s most beloved and enduring performers whose work has left an indelible mark on generations of audiences,” Television Academy chair Cris Abrego said at the time.

Abrego also praised Fox’s leadership in advancing Parkinson’s research, increasing public awareness and mobilizing global support through his foundation.

Hillary Bibicoff, co-chair of the Television Academy’s Special Awards Selection Committee, said Fox’s advocacy had made a lasting impact around the world. Fellow co-chair Joseph Litzinger said his commitment to helping people navigate the challenges of Parkinson’s served as an inspiration.

Fox’s return to acting brought another Emmy nomination

The humanitarian honor arrived during another milestone year in Fox’s television career.

He earned his 19th Emmy nomination in 2026 for his performance as Gerry in Season 3 of Apple TV’s Shrinking. The Television Academy lists the nomination in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category.

The role marked a return to acting after Fox stepped back from regular work in 2020 because he was having increasing difficulty memorizing lines.

“There’s a time for everything, and the time for 12-hour workdays was behind me,” he previously told PEOPLE.

His appearance on Shrinking offered Fox an opportunity to play a character with Parkinson’s while working opposite Harrison Ford, whose character on the series is also living with the disease.

Fox described the experience as “insanely fun.”

“This new character allows me to show up on set as myself,” he said.

The Television Academy notes that Fox’s 2026 nomination was his 19th overall.

A career built on Family Ties, Back to the Future and Spin City

Long before becoming one of the most recognizable advocates for Parkinson’s research, Fox established himself as one of television and film’s most popular performers.

He first became widely known for playing Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, a performance that earned him three consecutive Emmy wins for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

He later won another Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for Spin City and an Outstanding Guest Actor award for Rescue Me.

His television career has also brought Emmy nominations for appearances in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Boston Legal and The Good Wife.

Fox has won five Emmys in total. He has also received four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Grammy Award.

His film career includes the Back to the Future trilogy, which helped make him an international star.

His story has also been told beyond the screen

Fox’s life and career became the subject of the 2023 Apple TV documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.

The documentary received seven Emmy nominations and won four.

In 2025, Fox published his fifth book, Future Boy, adding another chapter to a body of work in which he has openly discussed his career, his experiences with Parkinson’s and his approach to the challenges that have accompanied the disease.

His other major honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded in 2025, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022.

A native of Canada, Fox was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 and was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in June 2026.

A rare Emmy honor for a career that extends far beyond acting

Fox joins a select group of Bob Hope Humanitarian Award recipients that includes Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, as well as Danny Thomas, who received the honor posthumously. The award is not presented every year, making it one of the Television Academy’s more selective honors.

The recognition reflects how much Fox’s public work has expanded beyond his acting career. For more than two decades, he has used his platform to increase awareness of Parkinson’s disease and direct attention and resources toward research.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation has become a central part of that effort, funding more than $3 billion in research programs and working with scientists, clinicians, patients, donors and volunteers around the world.

At the 2026 Emmys, however, Fox’s speech brought the focus back to something much closer to home: the family members who have shared that journey with him.

His thanks to Tracy Pollan, Sam, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé provided the emotional center of an evening that recognized both sides of his public life: the actor audiences have known for decades and the advocate who has devoted much of his later career to changing the course of Parkinson’s research.

The 78th Emmy Awards, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, aired live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 14 from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.