Eric Dane urges $1 billion push for ALS cure after missing Emmys appearance
Actor, diagnosed with ALS in April, appears in I AM ALS campaign video showing symptoms and calls for renewed funding and passage of ACT for ALS
Eric Dane, the 52-year-old actor known for roles on Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria, appeared in a video Monday for the advocacy group I AM ALS, urging donors and lawmakers to support a $1 billion, three‑year effort to accelerate research for a cure. The appearance came hours after he did not join a planned onstage reunion at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
In the video, Dane, wearing a navy T-shirt that read "I AM ALS," described himself as "an actor, a father and now a person living with ALS," and asked viewers to "visit the link below to donate" to the group's Push for Progress campaign. He said the effort aims to secure what he called "the fastest path to a cure," including renewing the landmark law known as ACT for ALS.
Dane spoke slowly in the clip and at times slurred words; his arms also showed occasional twitching. He said, "There’s so much to learn. More to do and we have to do it now," and pledged to work to "get promising treatments to thousands of patients like me." I AM ALS responded to viewers who commented on Dane's movements by noting that ALS affects muscles throughout the body, including those responsible for voice and swallowing.
Dane's campaign appearance followed his absence from a scheduled Emmy presentation on Sept. 14. He had been set to appear with former Grey's Anatomy co‑star Jesse Williams to present the award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in a segment marking the show's 20th anniversary; Williams presented the award alone. Jesse Collins, a producer of the ceremony, told Variety he was not given details about Dane's withdrawal and was told only that "he wasn't able to make it."
Dane publicly disclosed his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis in April. In a June interview on Good Morning America, he said his left arm was failing and that he had "one functioning arm," adding, "I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either." Since announcing his diagnosis, Dane has appeared in public on a few occasions, including a July 22 sighting leaving a West Hollywood restaurant with his daughter.
Dane has spoken about the role of family and support since his diagnosis. He and his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, called off divorce proceedings after he revealed his condition; the two are not romantically reunited, he said, but have become "better friends and better parents." The couple share two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control. Advocacy groups and researchers have increasingly sought accelerated funding and regulatory pathways to expand trials and access to experimental therapies. The I AM ALS Push for Progress campaign announced in Dane's video sets a specific fundraising target of $1 billion over three years and calls for legislative and research milestones, including renewal of ACT for ALS.
Representatives for I AM ALS did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment. Dane has not released further public scheduling details beyond his participation in the campaign video and his prior interviews about his condition.