- Jamie Foxx experienced health difficulties last year
- He took six months to recover in private
- His family and healthcare team were vital to his recovery
Jamie Foxx recently released his new comedy special ‘Jamie Foxx: What Happened Was…” which shed some new light on his mystery illness.
In the Golden Globe-nominated stand-up feature, Foxx detailed why he vanished from the spotlight in April 2023.
One obstacle to returning to the stage was his poor health, something which has left him with a hazy recollection as to what actually happened. His first official public outing was at a Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema & Television in December 2023.
However, in the special, he seemed in great spirits, telling the crowd, “You have no idea how good this feels,” before yelling, “Atlanta, I’m back.”
Here’s all we learnt from the special about Foxx’s mystery illness.
What illness did Jamie Foxx suffer from?
In the special, Foxx revealed that he suffered a “brain bleed,” which led him to have a stroke. Afterwards, he was admitted for brain surgery and regained consciousness on 4 May 2023, with no idea what had happened to him.
Of that experience, he said, “When I woke up, I found myself in a wheelchair, I couldn’t walk. Jamie Foxx don’t get strokes. That’s old man, s***.”
He called the experience the “worst year” and why he hid from the public glare.
Foxx admitted that much of the episode is still “a mystery”.
“I was having a bad headache, and I asked my boy for an aspirin. Before I could get the aspirin, I went out. I don’t remember 20 days. What they told me was they took me to the first doctor, and they gave me a cortisone shot and sent me home. I don’t know if you can do Yelps for doctors, but that’s half a star,” he joked.
Who does Jamie Foxx say saved his life?
He lays much of his recovery down to his sister, Deirdra Dixon.
She was incredibly proactive despite various doctors saying there was nothing wrong with her brother, who was experiencing what he thought was agonising headaches. This meant taking him to many hospitals before he was admitted to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
The special also includes an introduction from his daughter, Corrine Foxx.
Where did he make his recovery?
Foxx did a lot of his rehabilitation in Chicago, which involved a lot of events he reportedly doesn’t recall. He also received mentoring from a health worker called Holly who he praises for giving him the pep to fight again.
“If I can stay funny, I can stay alive,” he swore in the special.
Where can I watch the Jamie Foxx comedy special?
Foxx’s new comedy special is streaming now on Netflix.
