Newsmax Host Slams Jane Pauley For ‘Cruel, Unnecessary’ Question About Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s Disease

Twitter/@CBSSunday

CBS host Jane Pauley received criticism from some, including Newsmax host Rob Schmitt, for a question she asked Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox this week.

During the interview, which is set to air in full on Sunday’s CBS Sunday Morning, Fox spoke about his long-running struggle with Parkinson’s disease — which he was diagnosed with in 1991 at the age of 29.

“You’ve not squandered any of your capacity, but at some point, Parkinson’s going to make the call for you, isn’t it?” asked Pauley, to which Fox replied, “Yeah, it’s banging on the door.”

“I mean, I’m not gonna lie, it’s getting hard. It’s getting harder, it’s getting tougher. Every day it gets tougher,” he said. “But that’s the way it is. I mean, who do I see about that?”

While many viewers described Fox’s response as heartbreaking, others criticized Pauley for asking such a question and accused the CBS host of being “cold” and “insensitive”

“Cruel, unnecessary question from Jane Pauley,” reacted the host of Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt Tonight. “Life is gonna make a decision on all of us, at 72 she should be very aware of that.”

“What a horrible thing to say to someone suffering so badly,” commented one social media user, while another questioned “who the hell says something like that to a man who is LIVING it & struggling with it.”

During the interview, Fox also told Pauley that falling, getting pneumonia, and other “subtle” things were the “big killer with Parkinson’s.”

“You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s,” said Fox. “I’m not gonna be 80.”

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]