Grateful For Her Support, Michael J. Fox Shares Heartfelt Kiss With His Wife Of 34 Years

Nov 23, 2022 by apost team

Michael J. Fox is a retired actor who first rose to fame playing Alex Keaton on the TV series “Family Ties.” Fox starred on the show from 1982 to 1989 and became a household name during that time. In 1985, at the same time he was filming “Family Ties,” Fox filmed the hit movie “Back to the Future” at night while acting on the show during the day. 

Working twice as much in a day was exhausting, and Fox said at that time he was just trying to make it through the day. In December 2021, Fox shared that he had rewatched “Back to the Future,” and his performance during that hectic time in his life was surprising to him.

In 1998, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He continued to make movies and starred in TV shows until 2014 when his series “The Michael J. Fox Show” ended. He officially retired from acting in 2020 due to his health issues. 

Over the course of his career, Fox has won numerous awards, including Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, Fox has become an advocate for research and the development of a cure for the disease. In 2000 he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which funds research and therapies for people diagnosed with Parkinson’s. For his work, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Karolinska Institute in 2010.  

In 2022, Fox was awarded an honorary Oscar and gave a moving speech following the accomplishment. Not only that, but he showed how grateful he was for the one person who has always supported him – his wife, Tracy Pollan.

Speaking with NPR, Fox shared how his outlook as an optimist has changed over the past three decades since his diagnosis. He said: 

“That's the crux of the book, is that with Parkinson's, I kind of, after 30 years, had – have established kind of a detente – like, an agreement. It takes up the space it takes up - and then allowing that it gradually was increasing overtime in its dominance or its majority over my situation. But Parkinson's itself, I had figured it out. I'd found a way to let it take up the space it took up and to use the other space to drive in and to do other things and to live my life. And although it wasn't ideal, it was working.”

Fox continued:

“And in that, I gained a certain amount of optimism and comfort, and security and confidence because I was doing well. And then I had this accident with – when I had the spinal cord – I had a tumor on my spinal cord, had that operated on. And it had to – I had to do it in order to avoid paralysis, which was certain without surgery.”

After a bad fall, Fox was left with a broken arm that threw off his balance while walking. Because of this, his doctors suggested he have around-the-clock aides. Speaking with PEOPLE in October 2022, Fox shared how grateful he was for his wife, Tracy Pollan, and all of the help and support she has lent him over the years.

"It took me a while to get that it wasn't just about me," Fox explained. "If I break my arm, I'm dealing with my broken arm. But if you're the person who lives with and loves and supports the person with the broken arm, you've got to do everything."

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Fox and Pollan first met on “Family Ties” but didn’t begin a relationship until a few years later. They have been married since July 16, 1988, and have four children together. And although the “Back to the Future” star’s life has been filled with challenges, he is now enjoying his more simple way of living.

"My best life now is I enjoy my family so much," Fox said.

"Tracy and the kids are amazing. I know that sounds boring, it sounds like a fairy tale, but we've been married 30-something years, so we've got something figured out."

Fox grew emotional speaking with TODAY about how Pollan has been there for him since they learned of his diagnosis. “We didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “One of the things I’ll always love Tracy for is that at that moment, she didn’t blink.”

It’s not surprising that Fox grew emotional again when he shared kind words about his wife after receiving an honorary Oscar in November 2022. Actor Woody Harrelson presented the award, saying, "Michael J. Fox sets the ultimate example of how to fight and how to live."

Being the comedian he is, Fox made some jokes as he accepted his award but quickly became more serious as he thanked his wife of over 30 years. "Tracy made it clear she was with me for the duration,” he said.

As his speech came to a close, Fox said he couldn’t walk and carry his award and needed Pollan’s help, saying, “I ask Tracy to once again carry the weight.” Pollan graciously agreed and joined Fox on stage, sharing a sweet and emotional kiss with him.

It’s evident that Fox has truly found a partner for life.

What do you think about Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan’s relationship? Were you inspired to see Fox win his honorary award? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.