Last year, the Oscar-winning Hollywood star Jamie Foxx was hospitalized for weeks with a “mystery illness” that nearly killed him. Afterwards, he disappeared for a time, and then made cryptic references to what really happened.
In his new Netflix comedy special What Had Happened Was…, which dropped on Tuesday, Foxx became emotional as he finally revealed the truth behind this.
Foxx Opens Up About ‘Mystery Illness’
Foxx, 56, told his audience that in April of 2023, he had a “brain bleed that led to a stroke.”
“April 11, I was having a bad headache, and I asked my boy for an Aspirin. I realized quickly that when you’re in a medical emergency, your boys don’t know what the […] to do,” Foxx recalled. “Before I could get the Aspirin [clicks his fingers] I went out. I don’t remember 20 days.”
At the time, Foxx was in Atlanta, Georgia filming a movie. His friends rushed him to a doctor’s office, where he was initially given a cortisone shot and sent home.
“What the […] is that?” he said. “I don’t know if you can do Yelps for doctors, but that’s half a star.”
Despite assurances from doctors, Foxx’s sister Deidra Dixon still had concerns about his health. That’s why she took him to Piedmont Hospital. It was there that a doctor told her the “horrible news” that her brother was “having a brain bleed that has led to a stroke.” The doctor warned that the situation was so dire that Foxx would die if he didn’t undergo surgery immediately.
Related: Jamie Foxx, 56, Breaks Down In Tears During First Show Since Mysterious Health Scare – ‘God Is Good’
Foxx Nearly Died – ‘I Saw The Tunnel’
Meanwhile, Foxx was unconscious through all of this, which he said “was kind of oddly peaceful.”
“I saw the tunnel. I didn’t see the light,” he recalled as he became emotional. Foxx then quickly returned to making jokes, saying, “It was hot in that tunnel…am I going to the wrong place in this mother-[…]? Because I looked at the end of the tunnel, and I thought I saw the Devil like, ‘C’mon.’ Or is that Puffy [Sean “Diddy” Combs]?”
When Foxx made it out of surgery, doctors told his sister that the star “may be able to make a full recovery, but it’s going to be the worst year of his life.”
“That’s what it was,” Foxx admitted.
Foxx didn’t wake up until May 4, 2023. He was stunned to find himself in a wheelchair, as he had no recollection of how he got there. During his lengthy recovery, Foxx defiantly refused to be bathed by nurses despite being relatively helpless himself.
“I couldn’t wipe my own […],” Foxx lamented.
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Foxx Stays Quiet During His Recovery
Throughout the coming months, Foxx revealed little information about what had happened to him. This led to fans becoming increasingly worried about him as time went on. In July of 2023, Foxx finally took to Instagram to post a video in which he gave fans an update about his health.
“Some people said I was blind. But as you can see, the eyes are working. The eyes are working just fine,” Foxx said in the video. “I’m not paralyzed. But I went to hell and back, and my road to recovery had some potholes as well. But I’m coming back, and I’m able to work.”
In July of this year, Foxx was caught on camera telling some fans in Phoenix, “Look, April 11 last year, bad headache, asked my boy for an Advil. I was gone for 20 days.”
“I don’t remember anything,” he continued. “So they told me – I’m in Atlanta – they told me, my sister and my daughter, they took me to the first doctor and they said… ‘nah,’ gave me a cortisone shot.”
Foxx was about to give more details, until he realized he was being filmed.
“The next doctor said, ‘Something’s going on up there.’ I won’t say it on camera, I won’t say it on camera,” he said before stopping himself.
Foxx filmed his Netflix comedy special What Had Happened Was… in Atlanta back in October. On Monday, Foxx was nominated for a Golden Globe for the special. It’s currently available to stream on Netflix. Be sure to check it out if you want to hear more about Foxx’s incredible story!