Unfounded social media posts claim actor Michael J. Fox doesn’t have Parkinson’s disease. He does

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and can cause tremors, rigid muscles, speech changes and more. Actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with the disease in 1991, and he shared that diagnosis publicly in 1998. A couple of years later, he established the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and his advocacy for finding a cure is well-known. 

As he’s aged, Fox’s symptoms have become more pronounced. But a recent Instagram post claims, without evidence, that it’s all a hoax. 

"Michael J. Fox is a white hat and doesn’t have Parkinson’s disease," reads text above a George magazine cover featuring Fox. (In the QAnon conspiracy movement, a "white hat" refers to a supporter of President Donald Trump.)

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

George was a magazine founded by the late John F. Kennedy Jr., who some QAnon believers hope will become Trump’s vice president even though he died in a plane crash in 1999. 

Fox appeared on the magazine’s cover in 2000.

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There’s no evidence to support the claim that Fox has lied about having Parkinson’s. In a 2023 interview on "CBS Sunday Morning," he recalled developing a tremor in his pinkie finger in his 20s, and more recently, falling and breaking bones because of the disease.

"It sucks," he said. "It sucks having Parkinson’s. For some families, it’s a nightmare. It’s a living hell. You have to deal with realities that are beyond most people’s understanding."

We rate claims that Fox doesn’t have Parkinson’s Pants on Fire!