Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox was just as confused as anyone when he saw reports of his own death.
“How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your death?” Fox, 64, posted on Threads.
On Wednesday, CNN mistakenly published an article and video titled, “Remembering the Life of Actor Michael J. Fox.” The headline sent the internet into a tailspin, falsely believing the beloved actor had died.
Later that night, the Family Ties actor shared his multitude of reactions to being confronted with a report of his own death.
“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?" he said on social media.
“I thought the world was ending, but apparently it’s just me and I’m ok. Love, Mike,” Fox concluded.
CNN has since removed the report and assured readers that it was posted by mistake.
“The package was published in error; we have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J. Fox and his family,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Beast.
The mistakenly published package was a prewritten obituary for Fox. It is common practice in the industry to outline or prewrite obituaries for celebrities.
The news outlet’s report came just one day after the actor made a surprise appearance at the Shrinking wrap party at PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Fox, who guest-starred on the Bill Lawrence-created show, with whom Fox worked on Spin City, embraced co-star Harrison Ford to a standing ovation.
Fox ended his five-year acting hiatus for a role on the Apple TV comedy. Fox’s razor-sharp comedic timing is one of the season’s highlights, and shows the actor in as vivacious a state as ever.
Though he has continued acting since his diagnosis in 1991, Fox’s primary pursuit has been finding a cure for his degenerative disease. Through his Michael J. Fox Foundation, the actor has funded more than $2.5 billion in Parkinson’s research.
In January, the actor lashed out at President Trump for giving up on his disease.
“It’s frustrating to know we’re putting everything we can into it, and it would be nice to have the government behind us, but it seems that they’re involved in other things that have less impact on people’s lives,” the Emmy-winning actor said, mocking Trump’s then efforts to obtain Greenland.
For his contributions to medical research on the thus-far incurable disease, Fox received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Biden in 2025.
After receiving the award, Fox wrote an op-ed imploring Trump, 79, to continue the Parkinson’s advancements made under the Biden administration.
“Elected officials pledge to make our lives better. This is a chance to make good on that promise,” Fox wrote.
