Michael J. Fox on Why ‘80s Celebrities Were ‘Tougher’ Than Today’s Stars

Michael J. Fox recently told People why stars from his generation are “tougher” than today’s crop of celebrities. Explaining that attaining fame in the ‘80s was “harder” than it is today with the assistance of social media, the Back to the Future star cracked, “Well, you had to be talented [back then]. That helped.”

“There’s an expression I referred to when they gave me an honorary Academy Award,” Fox, 62, explained. “Somebody said to me the day before, they were talking about getting this award and being famous, and they said ‘You’re ‘80s famous.’

“I thought, wow, that’s cool. ‘80s famous. Right, we were different.”

Fox began to elaborate on the differences between his and this current generation, not mincing words about his feelings towards modern culture. “We were tougher. We didn’t have social media, we didn’t have any of that crap,” he said. “We were just famous. Left to our own resources. And it was an amazing time.”

As he sees it, some of today’s most famous “celebrities” are little more than spokespersons for various brands. “We used to bust our ass, our acting muscles and watch other actors, and sit around with other actors, and talk about acting,” Fox declared.

“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,” the actor marveled.

Fox hasn’t acted since 2020, when he guest starred on two episodes of The Good Fight. Since coming forth about his Parkinson’’s diagnosis, the actor has appeared mainly in voice roles. However, in 2023 he appeared in—and did much press for—the Apple TV+ documentary Still, which chronicled Fox’s career and his battle with the disease.