Actor Eric Dane is backing a new campaign to accelerate research into finding a cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). “There’s so much more to learn, more to do, and we have to do it now,” said the actor, who revealed his own ALS diagnosis earlier this year.
On Monday, Dane partnered with the organization I Am ALS, appearing in a new video announcing their Push for Progress campaign. “For over a century, ALS has been incurable and we’re done accepting the status quo,” Dane said in the clip posted on Instagram. “We need the fastest path to a cure and that’s why I’ve partnered with I Am ALS on the Push for Progress.”
One of the campaign’s main goals is to secure $1 billion in federal funding for ALS research over the next three years. And as Dane added in the video, “Together, we’ll renew the landmark law Act for ALS, get promising treatments to thousands of patients like me, and finally, finally, push towards ending this disease.”
The clip with Dane notably dropped one day after the actor missed an appearance at the 2025 Emmys, where he was scheduled to present an award with his former Grey’s Anatomy co-star Jesse Williams. Neither Dane, nor the show’s producers, have said exactly what caused him to miss the show. One Emmy producer, Jesse Collins, told Variety, “I don’t know the details of that. I was just told that he wasn’t able to make it. And fortunately, Jesse Williams, was able to present for us.”
Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — after the baseball star who was diagnosed with it — ALS is a degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and causes loss of muscle control. There is currently no cure, nor is it fully understood what causes ALS.
In June, Dane offered an update on his condition during an appearance on Good Morning America, saying the upper left side of his body was still functioning normally, but the right side had “completely stopped working.” He added: “I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”
Still, Dane has continued to work, with the actor filming scenes for Season Three of Euphoria over the summer. He also appears in the Prime Video series, Countdown, which arrived in June.
“In my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end for me,” Dane said. “I’m fighting as much as I can. There’s so much about it that’s out of my control.”
