Michael J. Fox’s Loving Kids Have Helped Him Battle Online Trolls Who’ve Made Fun Of His Condition

Oct 26, 2022

Michael J. Fox rose to fame following his iconic portrayal of Marty McFly in "Back To The Future." Since then, he has continued to soar higher in his craft as an actor. But even someone like Fox who has earned the respect of the public isn’t one to get away with hurtful words — not because he had done anything wrong but simply because of his condition. Thankfully, he has amazing children who always come to his defense.

Fox is a beloved actor who's been in the spotlight since the 1980s. Despite his tragic Parkinson's disease diagnosis in the early '90s, when he was only 29, Fox has had the support of his wife and fellow actress Tracy Pollan.

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1961, Fox took an interest in acting early on in his life, and after filming the Canadian sitcom "Leo and Me," he headed off to Los Angeles in 1979 to make it big. Clearly, the folks in LA could see the potential in him, because before long he was cast as Alex P. Keaton in "Family Ties," which ran from 1982–1989. 

It was actually on the set of the series that Fox first met his would-be wife, Pollan — their characters even played on-screen romantic interests! But as they were both in relationships at the time, they wouldn't begin dating until later on. In the meantime, Fox's career only continued to rise, and by the mid-'80s he was a star and teen idol, appearing in the "Back to the Future" franchise and "Teen Wolf," among other movies.

Not long after, Fox and Pollan were reunited on the set of their 1988 movie "Bright Lights, Big City," and finally, their love blossomed. Within seven months of dating, in December 1987, they were engaged and went on to get married the following year at the West Mountain Inn in Arlington, Vermont in July 1988. 

One year later in 1989, Fox and Pollan welcomed their first child, a son named Sam. But before they could continue their family, Fox received the devastating diagnosis that he had Parkinson's disease in 1991. He didn't go public with the news immediately and instead continued working throughout the '90s, appearing in another hit show, "Spin City."

By 1995, the family of three had grown to a family of five, after the arrival of twin daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler. A few years later in 1998 Fox went public with his Parkinson's diagnosis and semi-retired from acting in 2000, as his symptoms became worse. The following year another daughter was born, Esmé, turning their already large family into an even bigger one.

In an interview with The Guardian about how his condition had progressed 20 years since he got diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Fox said:

"I used to walk fast, but every stop is now like a frigging math problem,” he said.

He also shared in the same interview that he had to take a pause from acting because of his condition.

"If something changes, great, or maybe I can figure out how to do it a different way,” he said.

In a guest appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," Fox opened up about the awful words he had received due to his condition.

“Somebody said something nasty about Parkinson’s and I usually let that stuff just go by me. It doesn’t happen that often (and) when it does I don’t really care about it,” he said. “But I wanted to answer this guy in some way,” he added.

Despite his condition, his children have always been there to support him through and through. One of his children, Sam, handles his social media accounts — and he is a dream for every person looking for a social media manager who can create brutal responses.

In 2016, his son clapped back at a troll who sarcastically asked if Fox is going to do the then-viral Mannequin Challenge which required people to stop and pose in the most creative way while Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” played in the background. “Yo @realmikefox you gon do the #MannequinChallenge or nah?” the user wrote. 

But because of Fox’s condition, it would be impossible for him to do a such challenge. "So my son said 'Just do this. Do SMH' and I went 'What do you mean SMH?' He said 'Just trust me do SMH,'" Fox said.

So, he responded in the shortest yet most savage way possible. “Smh,” he simply said. SMH stands for “shaking my head.” People use SMH when someone says something unbelievable and there’s no better way to respond to it. 

Even the one who trolled Fox couldn’t believe the actor trolled him back with such a savage response.

"He answers me back 'That's the funniest thing I've ever read in my life. You're the king of the internet. I apologize for anything I said to you,' blah blah blah,” Fox recounted.

Do you think Michael J. Fox’s son does an amazing job handling his social media accounts? Let us know your thoughts and pass this on to anyone whom you think would love to read this story!