Michael J Fox delivers moving speech as he is honored at the 78th Emmys for Parkinson’s advocacy

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Michael J. Fox was honored at the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his work raising awareness about Parkinson’s disease.

The award recognized his advocacy and fundraising efforts through the Michael J. Fox Foundation, with Julianna Margulies, his former ‘The Good Wife’ co-star, presenting him with the honor.

Michael J. Fox reflects on Bob Hope’s humanitarian legacy

After thanking Margulies and the Television Academy, Fox reflected on what the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award meant to him and his family. He recalled that his parents were born during the Great Depression and came of age during World War II, a period when Hope was known to his family as more than an entertainer.

Fox said Hope was a “selfless champion” of soldiers and military families and remembered how the entertainer spent Christmases, Thanksgivings and other holidays supporting troops rather than celebrating with his own family.

He specifically referenced Hope showing up for troops in Berlin, Saigon and the Middle East with a turkey leg and a golf club.

Fox said he later learned from Hope’s example, praising how Hope would bring joy to people during tough times. Reflecting on his own Parkinson’s diagnosis, Fox revealed that he initially kept the condition a secret because he worried it would affect his work and relationships with audiences, asking, “Would they laugh if they knew I was sick?”

Ultimately, Fox said he found that the world accepted him, calling their support “uplifting,” and thanked the crowd for standing up for him, adding, “I understood that accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it. It just meant doing everything I could for everyone living with this disease,” which led him to advocate for people with Parkinson’s and raise money to find a cure.

Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s advocacy and Emmy history

Fox said his decision to advocate for people with Parkinson’s and raise money for a cure followed his realization that he could accept the disease without surrendering to it. He said he was proud of the progress that had been made.

“I set out to advocate for Parkinson’s disease and raise money,” he stated. “I found people to lead the effort for me and vowed to fund the best science in the world. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made to benefit Parkinson’s patients and families,” Fox continued. 

“We move closer to eradicating this disease forever. I’m deeply grateful to our staff, donors, researchers, and most of all the patient community who make our work at the Michael J. Fox foundation possible,” he concluded.

The 78th Emmy Awards were hosted by Mariska Hargitay. After his speech, the audience gave Fox a standing ovation as he left the stage in his wheelchair, following a career in which he had been nominated for multiple Emmys and previously won five awards.

He received his first Emmy in 1986 for playing Alex P. Keaton on ‘Family Ties’ and won his most recent Emmy in 2009 for ‘Rescue Me.’

Oprah Winfrey was the first recipient of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, which was first presented in 2002. The award was created to honor a member of the telecommunications industry whose philanthropic efforts exemplify Bob Hope’s decades-long altruism and positive impact on society.

Last year’s honor went to Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. The honoree is selected by the Television Academy and the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation based on humanitarian efforts that have brought credit to the industry and had a lasting impact on society.