Michael J. Fox Has Secured an Emmy Nomination After Coming Out of Retirement

Michael J. Fox has earned an Emmy nomination for the Apple TV show Shrinking in the Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category. This is his 18th Emmy nomination.

Fox retired in 2020 due to the progression of his Parkinson's disease. He announced this "second retirement" from acting in No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, his memoir about illness and change.

He accepted a role on Shrinking after Bill Lawrence created the role specifically for him. Lawrence, who is the co-creator of Shrinking, also worked on Spin City, Fox's series from 1996. Fox plays Gerry, a patient with Parkinson's disease. Gerry becomes friends with Harrison Ford's Paul Rhoades, who is also diagnosed with the disease. Ford also received an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Rhoades in the Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category.​

Fox started acting in the early ‘80s, but his breakthrough came with Back to the Future. Fox replaced Eric Stoltz, last-minute, as Marty McFly. Fox won three Emmy awards for his role on Family Ties. After his performances in Family Ties, Back to the Future, and the 1985 film Teen Wolf, Fox quickly became a teen idol.

While on Spin City, Fox announced to the cast and crew that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's and left the show. His acting appearances then dwindled for a while, with only a few smaller guest and voice roles.

In his memoir, he explained that "not being able to speak reliably is a game-breaker for an actor," and stepped away from the career. He had speaking roles in a handful of projects after his official retirement, but they were all just different versions of himself.

This is Fox's first Emmy nomination since his return to acting and his first since 2016. He was previously nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Louis Canning on The Good Wife. He lost that award to Paul McCrane. Fox's last Emmy win was in 2009 in the same category for his role on Rescue Me. Fox has won four other Emmys: three for Family Ties and one for Spin City.

Next: 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards: Here's the Full List of Nominations

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jul 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 10:49 AM.