--- title: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Stephen Hawking Video description: Stephen Hawking did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with his family canonical: https://time.com/3206976/als-ice-bucket-challenge-stephen-hawking-video/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-28T15:27:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:58:11.569Z og:title: Watch Stephen Hawking's Ice Bucket Challenge Video og:description: The physicist has a motor neuron disease related to ALS. og:url: https://time.com/3206976/als-ice-bucket-challenge-stephen-hawking-video/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc042bc5f1bdd730d/6986a1613617605ef890da69/stephen-hawkings-als.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Stephen Hawking og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Stephen Hawking's Ice Bucket Challenge Video twitter:description: The physicist has a motor neuron disease related to ALS. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc042bc5f1bdd730d/6986a1613617605ef890da69/stephen-hawkings-als.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch Stephen Hawking Do the Ice Bucket Challenge > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=3819520d-703d-4e5e-ba37-1492f38b4b60&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Professor Stephen Hawking does the Ice Bucket Challenge for MND [Watch (HLS stream): Professor Stephen Hawking does the Ice Bucket Challenge for MND](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lPUqle9Y.m3u8) (1:48)  _Published 2014-08-28. Professor Stephen Hawking does the Ice Bucket Challenge for MND_  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Aug 28, 2014 3:27 PM UTC Professor Stephen Hawking does the Ice Bucket Challenge for MND  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Aug 28, 2014 3:27 PM UTC Physicist Stephen Hawking, who had pneumonia last year, said it “would not be wise for me to have a bucket of cold water poured over \[him\]” — referring to the viral fundraising effort in which people dump ice water over themselves or donate money to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research. Instead, his children, Robert, Lucy and Tim, volunteered themselves as his proxies. Hawking, who’s nearly totally paralyzed after [being diagnosed with ALS at 21,](http://www.hawking.org.uk/about-stephen.html) urged everyone to donate to the [Motor Neurone Disease Association](http://www.mndassociation.org) to “eliminate this terrible disease.” According to the [ALS Association](http://www.alsa.org/news/media/press-releases/ice-bucket-challenge-082714.html), the viral fundraising effort has raised about $95 million so far. ## Transcript I [ UNKNOWN ] ALS ice bucket challenge in support of the [ UNKNOWN ] disease association. Because I had pneumonia last year, it would not be wise for me to have a bucket of cold water poured over me. [ CROSSTALK ] But my children Robert, Lucy and Tim gallantly volunteered to take the challenge for me. I urge everyone to donate to the MNTA to eliminate this terrible disease. This is getting funny. Ready to go? Yes, dear, one, two, three. Two, three. Go William! Aah! Aah! Aah! Oh, you poor things. Oh. Oh, I know. Poor thing [ CROSSTALK ] Yeah. Thank you. 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