On Saturday, President Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 "great leaders," and actor-turned-activist Michael J. Fox was deservedly among them.
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The Presidential Medal of Freedom is as high an honor a civilian can receive in the United States. Given Fox's contributions, it's no wonder he's received one. The White House posted to X a list of all those also awarded.
Hillary Clinton, Ralph Lauren, Lionel Messi, Denzel Washington, Anna Wintour, and Robert Kennedy were also awarded.
Michael J. Fox is known for his early acting career and his more recent activism and efforts toward Parkinson's disease, which he contracted in 1991.
Fox famously played Marty McFly in the Back To The Future trilogy, although also starred in Family Ties, The Frighteners, and voiced in the Stuart Little films.
His diagnosis of Parkinson's disease reduced his capability to work, and he retired in 2020. He established a foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, to help efforts finding a cure for the disease in 2000.
His foundation is credited with a breakthrough of the disease in 2023, where they found out how to detect the disease before symptoms appear.
So if anyone is deserving of the highest civilian award, then it's Michael J. Fox.
Internet Reacts To Michael J. Fox Receiving Presidential Medal Of Freedom
Naturally, everyone online is celebrating the award.
"So amazing and so well deserved!! ???" someone exclaimed.
"THIS is a hero. It's hard to see him visibly suffering like this, but you can tell the Medal means a lot to him," said another.
In the viral video of Michael J. Fox receiving the award, the effects of his Parkinson's are on clear display.
"He certainly deserves it. I admire him so much. Parkinson's is not easy. But he keeps pushing," commented a fan.
"GREAT SCOTT," another joked.
Many online were commenting their surprise to see a Presidential Medal of Freedom to someone they actually like. I mean, it's hard not to like Michael J. Fox, but the same can't be said for the other nominations.
Political figures and the super wealthy receiving the highest civilian honor will never be received well by the common American. They are unrelatable and typically unliked.
This isn't the case for Marty McFly, however.
