Jamie Foxx has finally opened up about the medical emergency that almost took his life.
In April 2023, Foxx suffered a brain bleed that led to a stroke while shooting his upcoming film Back in Action with Cameron Diaz in Atlanta. At the time of the actor’s medical emergency, his older daughter Corinne Foxx released a statement but kept many of the details under wraps.
“Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers,” the statement read in part.
Foxx was in the hospital and rehab for months following the stroke that left him unable to walk. Over a year and a half later, he discussed his road to recovery in detail during his Netflix comedy special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…, which premiered on Dec. 10.
“The only thing I could hold on to was my sense of humor,” Foxx said to the audience. “I couldn’t necessarily walk that good. I couldn’t talk that good. But I didn’t let go of my funny. I said, ‘If I can stay funny, I can stay alive.’ ”
So, what happened to Jamie Foxx? Here’s everything to know about the actor’s medical emergency and how he’s doing today.
He suffered a stroke in April 2023
On April 11, 2023, Foxx suffered a brain bleed that caused a stroke. The first doctor the “Blame It” singer visited that day gave him a cortisone shot for a bad headache and sent him home, according to Foxx, who recalled his scary health crisis during his Netflix special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was….
His sister, Deidra Dixon, knew something more serious was going on, so she took Foxx to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. The Ray star was evaluated by a second doctor, who determined that emergency brain surgery was necessary.
“When you dream about what you want to be in life, you don’t dream tragedy. But when something does go wrong, you need a sister,” Foxx said to the audience.
Following the surgery, the doctor informed Dixon that her brother “may be able to make a full recovery, but it’s going to be the worst year of his life.”
He doesn’t remember 20 days of the medical incident
Foxx lost all memory of his medical incident, claiming in his Netflix special, “I don’t remember 20 days.”
According to the star, things were “touch and go” for roughly 15 days. “They thought they were going to lose me because my vitals were out of control. That’s when a miracle happened and that miracle was working through my youngest daughter,” Foxx continued, sharing that his younger daughter, Anelise, snuck into his hospital room with her guitar.
“When she was playing my vitals went down. It was God in that guitar,” he added.
Foxx woke up in early May only to discover that he was in a wheelchair unable to walk. Shortly after, he gave fans a health update on Instagram, which read: “Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed.”
He recovered in Chicago
The Stealth actor was flown to Chicago in May 2023, where he spent weeks learning how to walk again at a rehabilitation facility. During his comedy special, Foxx described himself as “irreverent” in the early days of working with his physical therapist Holly, and psychiatrist Dragana, but he eventually turned a corner.
In July 2023, a source told PEOPLE that Foxx threw a party at the rehab center to “celebrate being better.”
By August of that same year, the “You Changed Me” singer finally started to feel like himself again. “It’s been an unexpected dark journey … but I can see the light,” he wrote on Instagram.
He returned to work in January 2024
Foxx returned to work less than a year after his stroke. He resumed filming Back in Action with Diaz in January 2024, and a month later, he teased his return to stand-up comedy.
“I got some jokes, and a story to tell,” Foxx wrote on Instagram.
In March 2024, the actor also announced his return to Beat Shazam, which he hosts alongside his daughter Corinne. Nick Cannon and Kelly Osbourne stepped in as hosts for season 6 amid Foxx’s health scare.
The Annie star didn’t just get to return to work in 2024 either: He also had the honor of walking Corinne down the aisle at her wedding to Joe Hooten in October.
“It was incredibly special, considering his health scare last year,” Corinne told Vogue. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when we came down the aisle.”
He opened up about his health emergency in a Netflix special
Foxx tearfully shared the long-awaited story about his health emergency in his Netflix comedy special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…. He told the audience that he was “angry” with God and didn’t understand why something so traumatic had happened to him.
“Finally, it came to me. It’s about blessings. God blessed me with his talent. He blessed me with all this money and this fame. And when I forgot about God, he blessed me with a stroke,” Foxx said.
After filming the show in October 2024, Foxx spoke to CBS Mornings’ Gayle King backstage and admitted that creating his special was emotionally taxing. “It was an excruciating time, to be able to open those wounds every single day for three months,” he said.
The actor posted on Instagram ahead of the special’s premiere on Dec. 10 to thank everyone who prayed for him and explain why he waited to share the details of his mysterious medical ordeal.
“I wanted to tell [the story] in my own way,” he said in a short video. “I hope you laugh at some of the jokes, but, most of all, I hope you are inspired by the journey. Let’s laugh. Cry if you need to. I know I have. But my tears now are tears of joy.”
Read the full article here
