A bizarre on-air mix-up sent shockwaves through fans this week, but Michael J. Fox quickly stepped in to set the record straight.
According to Fox News, the beloved actor reassured followers he is “alive and well” after CNN mistakenly aired a video package suggesting otherwise.
The segment, titled “Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox,” triggered confusion online before being pulled.
Fox, 64, addressed the situation directly on Threads with his signature humor.
“How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your death?” he wrote. “Do you… A) switch to MSNBC, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, (B) Pour scolding hot water on your lap, if it hurts your fine, (C) Call your wife, hopefully she’s concerned but reassuring, (D) Relax, they do this once every year, (E) Ask yourself wtf?”
“I thought the world was ending, but apparently it’s just me and I’m ok,” he concluded. “Love, Mike.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, the mistakenly published package featured highlights from Fox’s decades-long career.
It included nods to his breakout role as Alex P. Keaton on “Family Ties” and his iconic turn as Marty McFly in “Back to the Future.”
“He came into our living rooms on the small screen each week as Alex P. Keaton [on ‘Family Ties’] and eventually onto the big screen as Marty McFly in ‘Back to the Future,'” a narrator said in the clip. “But Michael J. Fox had a compelling third act as Parkinson’s sufferer and stem cell research advocate.”
“His most lasting role may have been as a tireless voice against Parkinson’s, a performance the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022,” the narrator continued. “In the end, Fox came to understand that his battle against the disease brought out the best in him.”
Fox has lived with Parkinson’s disease since 1991.
In a statement, a CNN spokesperson acknowledged the mistake and apologized.
“The package was published in error; we have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J. Fox and his family,” the spokesperson said.
Despite the scare, Fox has remained active. He recently returned to acting after a five-year break, telling USA Today that he’s mindful of his limits.
“I just feel I have to,” he said. “It’s a tradeoff. I want to be around for everything.”
“I want to be active at everything, keep working, keep my partnerships going, my good friends, and enjoy my time with my family,” he added. “And it’s all good; it’s so much better than it could be.”
Fox also appeared in a guest arc on “Shrinking,” where his character shares his real-life diagnosis.
“It was the first time ever I get to show up on-set, and I didn’t have to worry about, am I too tired or coughing or anything,” he told People. “I just do it. It was really good, because for the moments when I say, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this,’ then I say, ‘Well, I’ll just deal with how I can’t do it in the scene.’ And you get through it.”
Just days after the confusion, Fox appeared in good spirits at PaleyFest in Los Angeles, celebrating the third season of “Shrinking” and putting any rumors firmly to rest.
