Michael J. Fox Recalls Being Bullied by the Paparazzi Before He Revealed Parkinson’s Diagnosis

Michael J. Fox is opening up about his decision 20 years ago to go public with his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, revealing it was about more than just him. The Back to the Future actor told Entertainment Tonight ahead of his A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s fundraiser gala that the harassment he faced from paparazzi and tabloids played a big part in it.

“It was seven or eight years after I had been diagnosed … [and] the paparazzi and stuff, they would stand outside my apartment and heckle at me, like, ‘What’s a matter with you?’” Fox recalled. “I said, ‘I can’t be making my neighbors deal with this,’ so I came out, and it was great. It was a great thing.”

He continued, saying it was a “great surprise” to him how supportive people were when we came forward with his diagnosis. “They responded with interest, in the desire to find an answer to the disease, and then I saw that as a great opportunity. I didn’t get put in this position to squander it,” he said.

Fox said he doesn’t spend time patting himself on the back or thinking about how much he’s helped people but just tries to appreciate the fact that others with Parkinson’s or those with similar experiences have felt inspired. “I don’t spend a lot of time on that,” he said. “But I am grateful when people express to me that it means something, [that] means a lot to me. But I don’t think about it. I don’t get up and go, ‘Oh, I’m Mr. Impact!’”

“I’ve had Parkinson’s for 30 years…I think it’s part of my life, it’s what and it’s who I am and it’s a struggle sometimes. I’m not gonna lie, it’s really hard to get up and get ready and get out in the world [some days]. There are days that suck,” he said. “[But there’s] just an understanding that I will get through it. At any moment, you have a choice: I cannot get through this moment or I can get through this moment.”

This year’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s charity dinner — which will feature Sting, Brad Paisley, Blake Griffin and more — will be the 20th anniversary since the first event; since then, the gala has raised over $1 billion for Parkinson’s research. Fox says his wife, actress Tracy Pollan, has been by his side through it all.

“We understand each other. And if you go through something like I am going through, just have someone that you are going to look at and know that they know [what you’re dealing with],” Fox shared. “She is my best friend and she is still sexy as hell as she is great.”