“Of course, things have gotten harder over the years,” actor Michael J. Fox told People of living with Parkinson’s disease, in an exclusive interview published Sept. 9, 2026 — the same day the 65-year-old was named the 2026 recipient of the Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award. “I’m privileged to commit my time and energy to bringing everything I’ve got to help cure this disease,” Fox added.
Dimitri Krainc, MD, PhD, the president of the American Neurological Association, wrote a commentary in the Journal of Clinical Investigation on Fox’s Lasker award.
“Michael recognized that patients themselves are indispensable partners in scientific discovery,” Krainc wrote.
Krainc added: “For those living with Parkinson’s disease today, Michael J. Fox represents hope. For their families, he represents courage in the face of uncertainty. For researchers, he represents partnership.”
The World Parkinson Congress called the Lasker honor “well-deserved recognition,” celebrating Fox’s vision and commitment to collaboration. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) carried both the Krainc commentary and the congress’ words on its page about the award.
A Prize Called America’s Nobel
The Lasker Foundation’s citation credited Fox with dispelling the stigma of the disease and spearheading a revolution in Parkinson’s research.
The foundation presented its 2026 prizes at a gala in New York City on Sept. 17. The award is sometimes called America’s Nobel.
The Lasker Foundation has given more than 400 prizes since 1945, with an honorarium of $250,000 per category. Past public service award recipients include Bill and Melinda Gates and the late Christopher Reeve.
Randy Schekman, a Nobel and Lasker laureate who nominated Fox, wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: “Fox’s commitment and integrity have altered the landscape of inquiry into the clinical and basic science of PD.”
“Receiving a Lasker is humbling,” Fox said, adding that he shares the honor with the scientists, policymakers, patients and families working alongside him.
A $2.5 Billion Campaign
Fox co-founded MJFF in 2000 with Debi Brooks, now its chief executive. The foundation has funded more than $3 billion in research worldwide, some of it in partnership with the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s initiative, which the Sergey Brin Family Foundation supports.
MJFF says the research ecosystem it backed contributed to 23 new drug approvals over the past decade, and that 175 more are currently in clinical testing.
Fox testified before Congress in 1999, urging greater federal investment. The foundation later mobilized advocates behind the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, which became law in July 2024.
Fox told People the foundation was preparing a campaign to raise another $2.5 billion. MJFF launched that effort, called “All Grit. No Quit.,” on Sept. 17 with more than $1.75 billion already raised. The MJFF community has grown to an audience of nearly four million people, including 1.2 million donors.
A Way Back to Acting
Apple TV’s “Shrinking” gave Fox his way back to a set. He guest-starred in the third season as Gerry, a man living with Parkinson’s, opposite Harrison Ford, whose character Paul Rhoades also has the disease.
Fox told People the part let him show up on set as himself, and he called the experience insanely fun. Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel co-created the series. The third season came out Jan. 28 through April 8, and the show has been renewed for a fourth.
Fox received a 2026 Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for the role. The late Rob Reiner won the award for “The Bear.”
A Humanitarian Award and a Cure
Fox accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 14. He told the room he initially kept his diagnosis secret, fearing what it would do to his work, and he thanked audiences for standing by him. He said his foundation is close to a cure.
Federal health authorities continue to state that Parkinson’s has no cure and that available treatments manage symptoms. Fox offered People no timetable, saying researchers cannot pinpoint when one might arrive.
Fox told the magazine that living with the disease gave him direct understanding of the urgency patients and families feel. He said he began speaking publicly because his name could draw attention to the cause.
Parkinson’s is a disorder of the nervous system that affects movement, worsens over time and affects people in different ways, according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Fox’s symptoms over the years have included tremors, rigidity and difficulty speaking.
Fox was diagnosed in 1991, at age 29, and he disclosed the diagnosis publicly in 1998. A doctor told him at the time of the diagnosis that he had about a decade of acting left. Fox stepped away from full-time acting in 2000, after leaving “Spin City.” By 2020, Fox said, memorizing lines had become a new obstacle.
