Jamie Foxx has broken his silence about a harrowing medical emergency he experienced last year, detailing his journey to recovery in his new Netflix special, Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was, released on December 10, 2024.
The health scare began on April 11, 2023, while Foxx was filming a Netflix project in Atlanta. The actor recounted that a severe headache led him to ask a friend for an aspirin, but he lost consciousness moments later.
“I quickly realized that when you’re in a medical emergency, your boys don’t know what the f**k to do,” Foxx shared, revealing he has no memory of the following 20 days.
Foxx credited his sister for rushing him to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, where doctors discovered a brain bleed that had caused a stroke. The medical team warned that surgery was the only option to save his life.
Although doctors were optimistic about his recovery, they cautioned it would be the most challenging year of his life. The actor vividly described the shock of waking up on May 4 in a wheelchair, unable to walk. “Jamie Foxx don’t get strokes,” he recalled thinking, as he grappled with his new reality.
Foxx was later transferred to a rehabilitation facility in Chicago, where he had to let go of his pride to focus on his recovery. He explained that his family kept his condition private to shield him from online scrutiny during his vulnerable moments.
The Netflix special marks the first time Foxx has opened up about the ordeal, providing an intimate look at his resilience and the support system that helped him return to health.