Michael J. Fox is alive and well, the “Back to the Future” icon assured fans on Threads after CNN sparked a death scare by releasing a video on its content platforms titled “Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox.”
“How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your death?” Fox asked his followers. “Do you…A) switch to MNSBC, 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. Love, Mike.”
A CNN spokesperson commented on the manner in the following statement (via People): “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 night before CNN’s death scare, Fox appeared in person at the PaleyFest in Los Angeles alongside his “Shrinking” co-stars for a panel discussion on Season 3. Fox joined the series this year as guest star opposite Harrison Ford. Creator Bill Lawrence said he hoped to bring back Fox for Season 4 in some capacity, with Fox telling the audience he was up for it: “I would love to do it – it would be my honor.”
“Shrinking” marked Fox’s first acting role since 2020. He originally announced he was retiring from acting via his book, “No Time Like the Future,” where he told fans that his Parkinson’s was making it too difficult to be on set and to memorize lines. But on the “Shrinking” set, it didn’t matter.
“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,” Fox told People magazine last year. “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.”
“Shrinking” Season 3 is now streaming in its entirety.