Jamie Foxx recently stated that his inexplicable health crisis sent him into a weeks-long coma, resulting in a harrowing near-d3ath experience in which he “went to hell and back.”
Jamie Foxx, 56, raised eyebrows in 2023 while filming Back in Action starring Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close when it was revealed that the actor had been admitted to the hospital with a “mysterious illness.”
In mid-April of that year, the comic’s 30-year-old daughter, Corrine, said that her father had “experienced a medical complication.” She stated that “due to quick action and great care,” he was on his way to recovery, but she never revealed what happened to him.
Foxx broke his quiet in July 2023 with an Instagram video update that addressed the widespread conjecture surrounding his illness. “I went through something that I thought I would never go through,” Foxx stated at the time. “I know a lot of people were waiting, wanting to hear updates, but to be honest with you, I just didn’t want you to see me…with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through.”
While expressing gratitude for the help he received, he elected not to reveal specifics about the incident. It wasn’t until December 10th that the public discovered the truth.
‘What Had Happened Was…’
In his Netflix comedy special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…, the award-winning actor shares his 20-day coma in 2023. His condition was grave and doctors tried to stabilize him.
With his trademark wit and charm, the Beat Shazam presenter “sets the record straight,” providing intimate facts about his health as well as the strength he gained from his family, friends, and fans’ prayers.
In the hour-long stand-up, the multihyphenate entertainer combines humor and sincere narrative to take his audience on a journey that began with a “bad headache.”
“April 11, I was having a bad headache and I asked my boy for an aspirin. And I realized quickly that when you’re in a medical emergency, your boys don’t know what the f**k to do,” says the father, who turns 57 on December 13. “Before I could get the aspirin I went out [blacked out].”
“I was gone for 20 days. I don’t remember anything. So they told me – I’m in Atlanta – so they told me my sister and my daughter took me to the first doctor…They gave me a cortisone shot.”
He joked, “What the f*** is that?” Foxx quipped. “I don’t know if you can do Yelps for doctors, but that’s half a star.”
Finally, the family discovered a doctor who diagnosed the comic as having “a brain bleed that had led to a stroke.”
And “if [the doctor didn’t] go into his head,” he would have died.
Sharing memories of that blackout with his audience, he mentioned a few things about being unconscious: “Your life doesn’t flash before your face. It was kind of oddly peaceful. I saw the tunnel. I didn’t see the light. I was in that tunnel, though. It was hot in that tunnel.”
He then quipped: “S–t, am I going to the wrong place?”
Foxx then reveals that he had to relearn fundamental activities, and while doctors informed him that he could recover, he was also cautioned that it would be “the worst year of his life,” Foxx remembered.
“I went to hell and back,” the Oscar-winning actor claimed, adding that when he awoke from his coma on May 4, he couldn’t walk and had to rely on a wheelchair for mobility.
“You have no idea how good this feels,” an emotional Foxx told the Atlanta audience as he filmed his Netflix special. “I was fightin’ for my life, but I’m here in front of you.”
The comedian’s journey from a minor headache to a potentially fatal ailment emphasizes the need to raise awareness and seek immediate medical assistance. By sharing his story, Foxx aims to motivate people to prioritize their health and seek help when needed.
Have you watched Jamie Foxx’s What Happened Was…? Please share your thoughts on Foxx’s trip, and remember to wish the actor a very happy birthday!
