Michael J. Fox has revealed why he kept his Parkinson’s diagnosis secret for seven years, telling the Emmy Awards audience that he feared the disease could change how people viewed him and affect his career.
The “Back to the Future” star received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at Monday’s Emmys, where he reflected on the moment he learned he had Parkinson’s at 29.
Fox received his diagnosis in 1991 while filming “Doc Hollywood,” but he did not publicly disclose it until 1998.
During his acceptance speech, he explained why he initially kept the news private.
Initially, I kept my Parkinson’s diagnosis a secret. I worried that it would affect my work and my relationships with audiences.
He then asked the question that had stayed with him.
Would they laugh if they knew I was sick?
Fox eventually went public with his diagnosis and turned his experience into a major advocacy effort.
The actor founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000, and the organization has since raised billions of dollars for research into the disease.
Looking back at the support he received after revealing his condition, Fox said it helped him realize that Parkinson’s did not have to take away the work he loved.
I understood that accepting Parkinson’s did not mean I had to surrender to it.
Fox has continued advocating for people living with Parkinson’s while supporting research aimed at finding better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.