In his new Netflix comedy special, What Had Happened Was, Jamie Foxx opens up about the terrifying medical emergency that left him hospitalized and fighting for his life in 2023. Returning to the stage with an electrifying “I’m back!” as he danced to the crowd’s cheers, Foxx revealed the ordeal began just 400 yards from the Atlanta theater where the special was filmed, at Piedmont Hospital.
cmon G, it's J!
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🎤 Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… is now playing only on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/dhMdj2u4Kt
Holding back tears, Foxx recounted his “mystery illness,” joking at times to lighten the gravity of his story. “April 11, I had a bad headache and asked my boy for aspirin. Turns out, when you’re in a medical emergency, your boys don’t know what the fuck to do,” he quipped. Before he could take the aspirin, he blacked out, remaining unconscious for weeks. “I don’t remember 20 days,” he admitted. He later learned his friends initially brought him to a doctor who dismissed his condition with a cortisone shot. “What the fuck is that?” Foxx joked, comparing it to a bad Yelp review.
Foxx credits his sister, Deidra Dixon, with saving his life. Describing her as “4-foot-11 of nothing but pure love,” he shared how she recognized the severity of his condition and insisted on taking him to the hospital. At Piedmont, doctors discovered he was experiencing a brain bleed that had led to a stroke, requiring immediate surgery to save his life. “My sister knelt outside the operating room and prayed the whole time,” Foxx shared emotionally.
Foxx described being unconscious as “oddly peaceful,” even joking about a surreal moment: “I saw the tunnel, but not the light. It was hot in that tunnel—am I going to the wrong place? Because I looked at the end, and I thought I saw the Devil like, ‘C’mon.’ Or was that Puffy [Sean Combs]?”
After the surgery, doctors warned Dixon that Foxx faced a grueling recovery. “It’s going to be the worst year of his life,” they told her—a prediction Foxx later affirmed. His sister and daughter, Corinne, shielded him from public view during his recovery. “They didn’t want you to see me like that,” Foxx said, choking up. “And I didn’t want you to see me like that. I want you to see me like this.”
Foxx awoke in a Chicago rehabilitation center on May 4, confused about why he was in a wheelchair and struggling to believe he had suffered a stroke. He spoke candidly about the challenges of recovery, including losing his independence. “I couldn’t wipe my own ass,” he joked, adding, “But the only thing I could hold onto was my sense of humor. If I could stay funny, I could stay alive.”
During the special, Foxx delivered a series of spot-on celebrity impressions, including Denzel Washington, Dave Chappelle, Mike Tyson, Jay-Z, and Donald Trump. He also recalled how his youngest daughter, 14-year-old Anelise Bishop, snuck into his hospital room with her guitar and played music to calm him, miraculously lowering his vitals. “It was God in that guitar,” he said, calling her performance a “spiritual defibrillator.”
In an emotional highlight, Anelise joined Foxx on stage for a father-daughter duet. “You had to make it because I always dreamed we would perform together one day,” she told him, bringing both to tears.
Foxx also addressed the bizarre internet conspiracy theories surrounding his medical emergency, including rumors that he was cloned. “Y’all motherfuckers really thought I was a clone,” he joked. He then reflected on his faith, saying, “God gave me a second chance.”
The special included a montage of Foxx’s iconic roles, singalongs, and even a piano performance of a gospel song, capped with a humorous tune about why he’s done dating white women. Ending on a heartfelt note, Foxx thanked everyone who supported him—his family, doctors, nurses, fans, and the city of Atlanta. As he shook hands with audience members, he sang, “Thank you for my body. Thank you for my soul.”
With What Had Happened Was, Foxx transforms his harrowing journey into a testament of resilience, humor, and gratitude.
