People shocked after learning Michael J. Fox’s real name and the bizarre story behind it

Michael J Fox’s real name isn’t what you think it is, and now that people know, they don’t know how to handle it.

Michael J Fox been a fixture in many of our lives since he began acting in the 80s before his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

The actor is most recognized for his role as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future franchise, as well as his time on Teen Wolf and Family Ties.

However, things began to change when a tremor in his pinkie finger was found to be the beginning of Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at the age of 29.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects movement and coordination, with the main symptoms including things like a tremor (involuntary shaking), muscle stiffness, and slowness of movement.

While he slowed his career in the following years, choosing to become an advocate for the illness, he’s also been very honest about his life and shining a light on what it means to live with Parkinson’s.

Michael J Fox's real name is a little different (Jason Kempin / Staff/ Getty Stock)

That honesty also extends to his name, which you might not have realized isn’t actually ‘Michael J Fox’.

The truth was revealed on his Michael J Fox Foundation website, on a page listed as ‘Michael’s story’.

It was there that it shared how he came up with his name as a celebrity, having been born as Michael ‘Andrew’ Fox.

According to the page, after moving to Los Angeles to persue his acting chops, ‘there was a slight problem when he attempted to join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in Hollywood’.

Apparently, there was another actor named ‘Michael Fox’, who was already a SAG member.

So, Fox had to figure out how to make himself stand out, otherwise he couldn’t join the registry.

According to the website, he ‘ruled out 'Michael A. Fox' for obvious reasons, and instead adopted the middle initial J as an homage to his favorite character actor, Michael J. Pollard.

To this little bit of news, people have been left feeling ‘betrayed’.

He needed to change his name to become an actor (1985 Universal)

Over on Reddit, users spoke about the revelation, and it’s pretty funny how they took it.

One person wrote: “It’s like finding out Santa Claus isn’t real.”

Another claimed: “The j stands for andrew. Its pronounced yandroo.”

Someone else simply said: “I feel betrayed.”

Obviously, it’s not out of the norm for celebrities to change their names because of the SAG, but when it’s someone so known by their namesake, it’s hard to comprehend.

Anyway, the name suits him.