Michael J. Fox: From 'Family Ties' sitcom star to Parkinson's activist bringing hope to millions

Michael Jordan is without a doubt one of the most talented and influential athletes. And while many are aware of his incredible achievements throughout his career, the basketball star and businessman prefers to keep his personal life private.

A Hollywood icon and philanthropist! Michael J. Fox gained worldwide recognition beginning in 1982 on the NBC sitcom Family Ties and continued his skyrocket to fame for the next four decades.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Let’s travel back to the summer of 1989. I’m 15 years old and have just put two large movie posters on my wall: One for Tim Burton’s game-changing take on “Batman,” starring Michael Keaton, and the other for “UHF,” the theatrical comedy debut for the one and only “Weird Al” Yankovic. It’s now 2023. Keaton is back as Batman in next month’s “The Flash.” And Weird Al (always Weird Al, not just Al Yankovic!) is the front-runner for this year’s TV movie Emmy, thanks to the Roku Channel parody biopic “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.” “1989 is back again! It’s all cyclical,” Yankovic says in his signature cheery, upbeat tone. Tell my 15-year-old self that one day he’ll be recording a podcast with Weird Al, and first he’d say, “what’s a podcast?” But after explaining that it’s essentially a radio show, my 15-year-old self would lose his mind. And ask about 2023’s flying cars. Sorry kid.

Michael J. Fox this week said he feels his Parkinson’s diagnosis has given his wife Tracy Pollan a "trial" that "wasn’t hers to endure."  "She has this disease too in a sense because I do," Fox, 61, told CBC News in a Thursday interview.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Colin Farrell, Mariska Hargitay, Danny Strong, Paula Pell, Rachel Dratch, Michael Kelly and Craig Zobel were among the stars who came out to the writers strike picket line outside Paramount Global’s New York City office in Times Square Thursday. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D.-N.Y., and local politicians spoke at the event in support of the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) cause against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that has led to a four-week-and-counting work stoppage due to the organizations’ inability to ink a new contract May 1. “This is about what’s right. We’ve seen income inequality grow exponentially over the last decade; and in your business, it has never been more present,” Gillibrand said to the crowd, filled with not only WGA members, but also those from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and Teamsters, among other unions. “We see writers working hard every day to produce content and we have an unfair playing field. Not only does AI want to displace our writers, they simply can’t. AI generates content based on what’s been written before the work you did last year, and the year before. It’s not original. It’s not imaginative. It doesn’t come from the human heart. It’s not about a human experience. It’s not about what people actually want to learn about or know about or see or experience. That is what writers bring to the equation every single time. So this strike is so important for the future of this country. It’s about the value of workers; workers and what they create is fundamentally valuable.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Hasan Minhaj is open to the idea of hosting “The Daily Show” — but it’s not a decision he would make alone. “That’s a family conversation now,” Minhaj tells Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast. “It’s a very different conversation then when I first got hired at the show, when I was 29. My life is in a very different place. And so that’s a bigger convo.” Minhaj’s recent Netflix stand-up special, “The King’s Jester,” includes a deeply personal look by the comedian at the evolution of his family, from being infertile to eventually raising two children with his life — and how that has changed a lot of things in his life, including his career choices and his on-stage routines.

Backing off! Selling Sunset’s Chelsea Lazkani didn’t hold back when giving her opinion about costar Bre Tiesi’s relationship with Nick Cannon — and regrets not filtering her thoughts.  

Lisa Marie Presley‘s twin daughters graduated from middle school on Friday, and Priscilla Presley was there to see them close that chapter in their young life.

Lisa Marie Presley's twin daughters graduated from middle school on Friday, and Priscilla Presley was there to see them close that chapter in their young life.Priscilla, 77, donned a black and white jacket over a white blouse, black pants and black boots when she attended Harper and Finley's graduation ceremony in Los Angeles. The 14-year-old twins' father, Michael Lockwood, was also there.

Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner looks unrecognisable after transforming into a 1980s jewel thief for new six-part drama Joan. The 27-year-old actress, who played Sansa Stark in the smash hit HBO fantasy series, looks worlds away from her usual self in the new ITVX show - with peroxide blonde hair and bright red lipstick.

Stacey Solomon confessed to the job she finds the 'scariest' as she continues her return to work after giving birth to her fifth child. Taking to her Instagram Story with a smiling snap, the Loose Women star shared how she was heading off to 'speak on a panel' while her husband Joe Swash held the fort at home.

Note: This story contains spoilers from the “9-1-1” Season 6 finale.Filming for the Season 6 finale of “9-1-1” pushed Oliver Stark to the limit, and that’s just how he likes it.The first responder drama took a massive swing with its final episode at Fox, featuring a massive overpass collapse that put the lives of the entire crew of station 118 in danger. A mildly injured Buck (Stark) — who saw his own life hanging in the balance after being struck by lightning earlier this season — got to help rescue his teammates, including performing an elaborate stunt where he repelled back and forth to save people stuck in an ambulance hanging off the collapsed piece of highway.“That was one long take!” Stark shared with TheWrap.

Jamie Foxx is already planning his return to TV.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are traveling the world with their children, who are all grown up now!

Book Club: The Next Chapter is now out in theaters!

Stronger than ever! Michael J. Fox and wife Tracy Pollan‘s lasting love has helped them navigate the biggest challenges, including his battle with Parkinson’s disease.

CNN’s town hall with Donald Trump beat the cable news competition, as expected, with an average of 3.12 million viewers, according to early Nielsen numbers.

The Cannes market heats up even further with a new James Marsh movie on the scene. Deadline reports that Marsh will direct an adaptation of Kevin Barry‘s 2019 novel “Night Boat To Tangier” with Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson in the leads.  Ruth Negga will also star in the film.

Dolly Parton has revealed the star-studded tracklist from her forthcoming album ‘Rockstar’ which is set for release later this year.The LP will feature nine original songs and 21 covers of rock classics such as Heart‘s ‘Magic Man’, Prince‘s ‘Purple Rain’, The Rolling Stones‘ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and many more. The tracklist is a rock lover’s dream as the majority of the songs feature many of the greats such as Sting, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry, Steve Perry, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and more.“I’m so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album ‘Rockstar’!” Parton said in a statement.“I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure.