Ted McGinley Praises Michael J. Fox’s Cameo in ‘Shrinking’ as Inspiring and Generous

Shrinking star Ted McGinley is star struck on his own set.

The actor, who was chatting about the third season of the Apple TV show on Today this week, got to talking about the cameo that Michael J. Fox made in the show’s new season.

“I didn’t have any scenes with Michael direct, but I’ve been circling Michael for many many years,” McGinley, who plays Derek on the show, said, explaining that the two worked on the same studio lot in the “early days.”

“I like to go and just sit in the corner and watch,” the ‘Married With Children’ star added. “You watch what Michael has to go through on a day-to-day basis and get up on stage, and he’s sharp as a tack but it takes a lot of energy, and to work opposite Harrison [Ford] and be so generous, I mean, it is a beautiful thing.”

McGinley also shared that he admired Fox for his fundraising efforts for Parkinson’s, a disease that Fox has suffered from and been very open about since the 90s.

“It’s just been amazing” he said of the $2 billion Fox has raised for research.

On the Emmy Award-nominated show, Fox plays Gerry, a Parkinson’s patient who meets Ford’s character, psychologist Dr. Paul Rhoades, in a doctor’s office. The two bond over suffering from the same disease, with Gerry sharing advice with Rhoades, who is in the early stages. The psychologist also sees Gerry during a hallucination at the end of the episode.

Ahead of participating in the show, the ‘Back to the Future’ star told Shrinking showrunner, Bill Lawrence, just how he’d like to be portrayed, emphasizing that he didn’t want to play himself.

“He said, ‘I don’t care what I do as long as I’m playing just a guy,’” Lawrence shared with People. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to play Mike Fox with Parkinson’s. I just want to play some dude.”

Shrinking airs on Apple TV on Wednesdays and along with Ford and McGinley, stars Jason Segal and Jessica Williams.

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This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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