Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx has shared details about the medical emergency he faced in 2023, revealing that he suffered a brain bleed which led to a stroke. In a Netflix special titled Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was, released on Tuesday, Foxx discussed his health struggles from the past year.
A mystery
Foxx described the incident as “a mystery,” admitting that even now, the exact cause of the health scare remains unclear. “We still don’t know exactly what happened to me,” he shared.
Reflecting on the day his health took a sudden turn, Foxx explained that it began with a severe headache. “April 11, I was having a bad headache and I asked my boy for an aspirin,” he recalled. “And I realized quickly that when you’re in a medical emergency, your boys don’t know what the f**k to do.”
Before he could take the aspirin, Foxx lost consciousness. “I went out,” he said, adding, “I don’t remember 20 days.”
Jamie Foxx expresses gratitude for fammily
Foxx expressed immense gratitude for his sister, who played a critical role in getting him the medical attention he urgently needed. “My sister, 4 foot 11 of nothing but pure love,” Foxx said, describing how she drove him around Atlanta in search of a hospital.
The pair eventually arrived at Piedmont Hospital, where doctors diagnosed Foxx with a brain bleed that had triggered the stroke. The doctors told Foxx and his family that an operation was necessary for survival. “Without the operation, I was going to die,” Foxx explained.
Jamie Foxx about recovery
After undergoing surgery, Foxx was told by doctors that while a full recovery was possible, it would be a grueling process. “It’s going to be the worst year of your life,” he was told.
His family kept him out of the public eye during this time, as Foxx was “so dizzy” that he could not keep his head still. His daughter was particularly concerned about the possibility of his condition becoming a target for online ridicule. “My daughter was worried that people would turn me into an internet meme,” Foxx shared.
On May 4, Foxx woke up in a wheelchair and was shocked to learn he had suffered a stroke. “Jamie Foxx don’t get strokes,” he remembered saying in disbelief when his friend explained what had happened. He was then flown to Chicago for rehabilitation, where he was advised to drop his “arrogant” attitude if he wanted to recover fully.
Hospitalized in April 2023
Foxx was hospitalized in April 2023 while filming a Netflix movie in Atlanta, leading to widespread speculation about his health. His daughter, Corinne Foxx, initially described the situation as a “medical complication” on social media, but details about his condition were kept private at the actor’s request.
In July 2023, Foxx posted a video on Instagram addressing the public’s concern. “I know a lot of people were waiting or wanting to hear updates but to be honest with you, I just didn’t want you to see me like that, man,” he explained. “I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, television show. I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was gonna make it through.”
