Michael J. Fox On Being Famous In The '80s: 'You Had To Be Talented'

By Emily Richardson | Celebrity | April 13, 2024 |

By Emily Richardson | Celebrity | April 13, 2024 |

Michael J. Fox recently sat down for an interview with PEOPLE, and chatted about the difference between fame today versus fame in the 1980s. Michael says that the day before receiving his honorary Oscar back in 2022 (the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his work to raise awareness about Parkinson’s), someone called him “‘80s famous”. And he thought that was “cool”:

“We were different. We were tougher. We didn’t have social media, we didn’t have any of that crap. We were just famous. Left to our own resources. And it was an amazing time.”

When asked if being ’80s famous was harder than being famous today, the 62-year-old replied, “Well, you had to be talented. That helped.” Daaaamn, MJF, tell us what you really think! He continued:

“We used to bust our ass, our acting muscles and watch other actors and sit around with other actors and talk about acting and talk about it. And now you’ve got people who just go like, who’s your sweater? What’s your sweater you’re wearing? And what’s that dance step? And you’re the most famous person in the world.”

Michael’s right. The times they are a-changin’. But there’s still a lot of talent. And I’d like to bring up a counterpoint RE: Michael’s take on social media fame (I assume that’s what he was referring to with that “dance step” thing). Yes, TikTok has cursed us with “actresses” like Addison Rae and “comedians” like Matt Rife, but it’s also exposed us to a lot of hilarious, talented creators who probably would’ve struggled to get agents in ’80s Hollywood. Look at Lil Nas X, Megan Stalter, Dylan Mulvaney, and TikTok comics like Jake Shane and @Mamaa.Arii (seriously, give her a sitcom). Also, I feel like there’s less rampant coke use today than there was forty years ago? Just a thought…