Despite becoming a household name in the 1980s thanks to his characters Alex P. Keaton on the hit sitcom Family Ties and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, fan-favorite actor Michael J. Fox was forced to largely retire from acting back in 2020. Fox had previously been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the 1990s and confirmed it to the public in 1998. Though he confirmed the news to the world at that point, he continued to work, though largely in voice-over roles, like as Stuart Little in the feature film trilogy, or appearing as himself in comedies.
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In 2018, however, Fox got back in front of the camera for a five-episode arc on the hit TV series Designated Survivor, following that up with a two-episode arc in 2020 with The Good Fight. After that, though, Fox confirmed he would be retiring from acting. Since then, Fox was the subject of the Emmy-winning documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, and lent his voice to the Disney sequel, Zootopia 2, where he played “Michael J. The Fox.” But now, Fox’s first live-action acting role in five years has been fully revealed.
Michael J. Fox Returns to Acting in 2026
Apple TV has released the full trailer for Shrinking Season 3, the next batch of episodes for the Emmy-nominated comedy series created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein. Segel and Goldstein star in the series alongside Harrison Ford, with each season bringing in surprise guest stars that have previously included Jeff Daniels and Cobie Smulders. With Season 3, that list will grow to add Michael J. Fox, and we finally have a first look at his role in the film.
For TV fans unaware, the first season of Shrinking revealed that Ford’s character, therapist Paul Rhoades, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. In the footage from Shrinking Season 3 that features Fox back in front of the camera, we can see that the pair are acting together in a waiting room for a neurological center of some kind. Fox asks Ford what brings him to the doctor, prompting him to say it out loud: “Parkinson’s.” This allows for a great joke from Fox about the reason for his visit, noting he’s just in for a haircut.
It’s unclear if Fox is playing himself in the episode, one of the most famous people on the planet to have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, or if he’s playing a character that also has the affliction. Time will tell, and with Season 3 of Shrinking premiering on January 28 on Apple TV, we’ll know the full context soon. In any event, having Fox back on screen is something everyone can agree is a great thing to see.
Fox previously opened up about his decision to retire from acting for two major reasons: the first being the difficulties that he has with his speech, which had become unreliable in recent years, in addition to having issues with his memory. In his 2020 memoir, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, Fox opened up about this specific side of his retirement decision, noting, “not being able to speak reliably is a game-breaker for an actor.” It’s unclear if this will prompt Fox to continue working or if this will be his last appearance, but the actor has called himself retired more than once.
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Image Courtesy of Paramount
