E! apologizes for 'insensitive' Michael J. Fox 'fun fact'

Jan. 13 (UPI) -- E! News is notorious for its frivolous approach to red carpet pre-shows (think mani-cams), but the network completely missed the mark when it identified Michael J. Fox's Parkison's diagnosis as a "fun fact."

As the stars headed into Sunday night's Golden Globes ceremony, the network splashed this regrettable "fun fact" onto the screen: "Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991.”

When Buzzfeed and other observers cried foul, E! News apologized.

"We regret the insensitive classification of Michael J Fox’s Parkinson’s diagnosis during our Eonline live stream," the network said in a statement Sunday. "We understand the serious nature of the disease and sincerely apologize.”

Fox was nominated for his role in The Michael J. Fox Show.

The misstep quickly turned into a mini-meme, with social media users tweeting their own no-so-fun facts.

These Golden Globes "fun facts" are getting darker and darker pic.twitter.com/SD1E38Pg9o

— Dan Amira (@DanAmira) January 12, 2014

Hey #GoldenGlobes, these are NOT Fun Facts pic.twitter.com/RSgT6SGUF4

— lawblob (@lawblob) January 13, 2014

[Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter]