Michael J. Fox To Receive TV Academy’s Bob Hope Humanitarian Award At This Year’s Emmys

The Television Academy said Wednesday that Michael J. Fox, a five-time Emmy winner and nominated for the 19th time this year for his guest role in Apple TV’s Shrinking, will receive the organization’s Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. The honor, given annually to an individual in the TV industry “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry and whose deeds and actions have had a lasting impact on society,” per the Academy, will be bestowed September 14 during the Primetime Emmy Awards. Fox, who won three consecutive Emmys for his breakout role in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties leading to a film and TV career that included the Back to the Future movie trilogy, Teen Wolf, The Secret of My Success, Casualties of War, The American President, Doc Hollywood and series Spin City among others, revealed in 1998 that he had been diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease. He founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research two years later. It is now the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s research, and has supported more than $3 billion in research. Watch on Deadline He previously received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Oscar, in 2022, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year. He will join previous Bob Hope recipients Oprah Winfrey, Danny Thomas (posthumously), George Clooney, Sean Penn, and Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen last year. Fox has also written five books, most recently Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum, published in last October. “Michael J. Fox is one of television’s most beloved and enduring performers whose work has left an indelible mark on generations of audiences,” Television Academy chair Cris Abrego said. “The Television Academy is proud to honor him for his extraordinary leadership in advancing Parkinson’s research, transforming public awareness and inspiring global support through The Michael J. Fox Foundation, whose investments have accelerated scientific breakthroughs and the search for a cure. He continues to exemplify compassion, courage and service, reflecting the power of one individual to drive meaningful change.” The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards air Monday, September 14 on NBC and Peacock, with Mariska Hargitay hosting from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. See the full list of 2026 nominees here.