Michael J. Fox Just Revealed How He Learned He Was Reported Dead

Michael J. Fox recently had an extremely strange experience when he learned that a major news outlet reported on his death. The beloved actor just shared how he found out about the stunning turn of events and how he reacted with his typical humor.

How Michael J. Fox Reacted to the Report of His Death

During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Michael J. Fox was asked about what happened after CNN recently wrongly reported that he'd died. The beloved actor's response began perfectly. "As Mark Twain said, rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. It was just funny."

The iconic former star of Spin City, Back to the Future, and Teen Wolf went on to describe how he first learned about the false report. Fox said that he was on his way to dinner when he got a text about the mistake. He also shared why he thinks the error happened in the first place.

"Everyone wants to be so ahead of the curve on this stuff, that they can lose track of what they're trying to stay ahead of the curve on. So, there's a guy going to dinner who was quite surprised to find out he's dead."

The always-classy actor then put a remarkably positive spin on the whole situation.

"I understand people have a curiosity, and people have a lot invested in me. Whether it's their interest in our research or whether it's just an association with me from when they were kids. And that's very special. I don't want to degrade that at all. This is a natural offshoot of that. There are people out there that care, and other people that make their business off of people caring about things. It makes sense, that comes into conflict every now and then. But it was no big deal."

What Originally Happened When CNN Reported Michael J. Fox Had Died

On April 8, 2026, CNN aired a tribute video titled "Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox." Very quickly after that, Fox responded on Threads to confirm he was still alive and joke about the mix-up.

"How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your 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? I thought the world was ending, but apparently it's just me and I'm ok. Love, Mike."

A CNN spokesperson later released the following statement apologizing for the 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."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 9:00 AM.