Michael J Fox Fun Fact Controversy: E! Inappropriately Describe Actor’s Parkinson’s Diagnosis
E! have been forced to apologize after they presented Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease as a “Fun Fact” during the red carpet section of their show.
The hugely insensitive caption read, “Fun Fact: Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991.” This lead to a huge outcry across various social media websites, who shot to the defense of the beloved Back To The Future actor.
E! soon issued a statement apologizing for the inappropriate graphic. “We regret the insensitive classification of Michael J. Fox’ Parkinson’s diagnosis during our Eonline live stream,” it read. “We understand the serious nature of the disease and sincerely apologize.”
Fox was forced to semi-retire from acting in 2000 after his condition began to get worse. Over the last 14 years, he has become a spokesperson for those who suffer from the disease, and he has campaigned to increase research for a cure, while also founding the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2010.
E!‘s Fun Fact controversy wasn’t just reserved for the former Spin City star, though. Oscar winning actor Robert Redford also found himself at the center of the controversy too after it was revealed that he was “stricken with polio as a child.”
Despite his diagnosis, Fox still maintains a positive outlook on life, so much so that he admits he wouldn’t rid himself of the illness even if he could.
Fox told Rolling Stone, “If I walked into a room with God or Buddha or Bill Gates or Sergey Brin or whoever could figure out a way to fix it for me, I don’t think I’d do it.”
He added, “Because I wouldn’t have gone through what I’ve gone through and I wouldn’t have had the experience I’ve had, and I can still do my s**t. At the end of the day I can still do a show. So what have I lost? The point is, we all have our bag of hammers. We all have our own s**t. ”
Meanwhile, Twitter users soon created fake E! Fun Facts that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the network’s coverage:
Other users couldn’t hide their disgust at the error, though:
So Michael J Fox’s Parkinson’s diagnosis counts as a “Fun Fact” on E!? Hmmmmmmm pic.twitter.com/SboEi4LTPR
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) January 13, 2014
Someone is getting fired for that Michael J. Fox “fun fact” but the absurdity of it made me laugh… really freaking loud.
— Ray Legendre (@CajunTomato) January 12, 2014
#ERedCarpet So there is a “fun fact” associated with Michael J. Fox’s Parkinsonism? Go home, E, you’re tasteless.
— Rebecca (@BexaRaven) January 13, 2014
