Michael J. Fox Shares Photos for Esmé’s 25th Birthday, and Fans Spot a Family Resemblance
The tribute to his youngest daughter brought together childhood memories, a Duke graduation photo, and a family tradition she’s made her own
Michael J. Fox celebrated his youngest daughter’s 25th birthday on November 3, 2026, with an Instagram post that took followers through several chapters of her life. He shared childhood photos, a picture of Esmé in her graduation cap and gown, and more recent snapshots from her time as a runner. In the caption, he called her “Ezzie” and described the many versions of herself she’d been over the years as “all of them fabulous.”
Some fans went straight to the comments to point out the resemblance between father and daughter, especially around the eyes. Tracy Pollan shared a birthday post of her own, adding more pictures to the family album. Together, the posts offered a look at the youngest of their four children as she builds a career and carries on a family tradition in a way that suits her.
A resemblance Fox noticed years earlier
In a 2013 interview with AARP, Fox described Esmé as the child most like him. He was talking about how she spent her time. She loved to read, wrote stories, and liked making little movies. Years before the birthday photos prompted comments about their eyes, Fox was already recognizing something familiar in her curiosity and the projects she took on for fun.
Those interests found an outlet in college and at work. Esmé graduated from Duke University in 2025, where she studied global cultural studies and literature. She gained newsroom experience through internships at the Tampa Bay Times and Bloomberg News and went on to work in production at NBC’s Today show. The graduation photo in Fox’s post captured one of the milestones along that path.
From cheering on runners to taking on the marathon
One family photograph from years earlier shows Esmé sitting on her father’s shoulders while they cheered for runners in Team Fox gear. In November 2025, just before her 24th birthday, she took on the New York City Marathon herself, raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. In March 2026, she ran the New York City Half Marathon with her older sister Schuyler.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 and spoke publicly about it in 1998. By the time Esmé was born in 2001, advocacy had become part of his public life. For Esmé, running gave her a way to pursue a goal of her own while supporting work her family had been involved in since her childhood.
A family that started with Family Ties
Fox and Pollan first met on Family Ties, where he played Alex P. Keaton and she played his girlfriend, Ellen. They married in 1988 and welcomed their son Sam the following year. Twins Aquinnah and Schuyler arrived in 1995, followed by Esmé six years later.
Longtime viewers may have recognized Fox’s eyes in the birthday pictures. The photos also showed milestones that belonged to Esmé herself, from walking across a graduation stage to running the streets she once watched from her dad’s shoulders.