Jamie Foxx has revealed the harrowing details of the medical emergency that left him hospitalized in 2023. In his new Netflix special, What Had Happened Was..., the 56-year-old actor and comedian shared for the first time that a brain bleed led to a stroke, forcing him into a life-threatening situation and a grueling recovery. Previously, speculations alleged Foxx was poisoned by music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.
"April 11, I was having a bad headache, and I asked my boy for Aspirin," Foxx began, recounting the events that would soon spiral into a medical emergency. "Before I could take the Aspirin, I went unconscious. I don't remember 20 days."
Foxx's friends initially sought medical help in Atlanta, where a doctor administered a cortisone shot and sent him home. "What the f--- is that? I don't know if you can do Yelps for doctors, but that's half a star," Foxx quipped, drawing laughs from the audience despite the seriousness of his ordeal.
The turning point came when his sister, Deidra Dixon, recognized the severity of his condition. "She said, 'Get him in the car. That ain't my brother right there,'" Foxx recounted emotionally. Dixon took him to Piedmont Hospital, where doctors delivered grim news.
"He's having a brain bleed that has led to a stroke," the doctor told Dixon, according to Foxx. "If I don't go in his head right now, we're going to lose him."
Foxx revealed that his sister knelt outside the operating room, praying for his survival. During the procedure, Foxx recalled feeling "oddly peaceful" while unconscious, describing a surreal experience of being in a tunnel. "I didn't see the light. It was hot in that tunnel. S---, am I going to the wrong place?" he joked.
After surgery, doctors warned his family that his recovery would be long and arduous. "He may be able to make a full recovery, but it's going to be the worst year of his life," the doctor told Dixon.
Foxx's recovery began at a rehabilitation center in Chicago, where he woke up on May 4. He described the moment he realized the extent of his condition. "I woke up in a wheelchair. I was like, 'Why the f--- am I in a wheelchair?' I couldn't wipe my own a--," he admitted, detailing the physical and emotional toll of his recovery.
During his darkest moments, Foxx leaned on his humor to cope. "I lost everything, but the only thing I could hold onto was my sense of humor," he said.
His daughter, Corinne Foxx, played a critical role in protecting his privacy during his recovery. "They didn't want you to see me like that. And I didn't want you to see me like that," Foxx said, his voice breaking as he expressed gratitude for his family's support.
Foxx concluded his special with an uplifting message to his audience, thanking them and his loved ones for their unwavering support. "Thank you for my body. Thank you for my soul," he sang, ending the set on a hopeful note.
Foxx's Netflix special, now streaming, not only provides insight into his terrifying health scare but also celebrates his resilience and the love of those who stood by him during the most challenging year of his life.
