Jamie Foxx Opens Up About Near-Death Experience in Upcoming Netflix Special

Jamie Foxx is sharing details about the life-threatening health scare he experienced last year in his forthcoming Netflix stand-up special, What Had Happened Was. According to CNN, which spoke with attendees of the October taping, Foxx revealed new insights about his diagnosis, recovery, and the harrowing moments that followed.

Demecos Chambers, a long-time fan who attended the event, recounted Foxx’s story. “He passed out and remembered waking up—it was a near-death experience,” Chambers shared. “He spoke about waking up in the hospital. He thought he had only been out for a moment, but it turned out to be two or three weeks. He was in a stone-cold coma.”

Foxx reportedly told the audience that he had been unconscious for so long that he had grown a beard by the time he regained consciousness. He emphasized the severity of his condition, stating that the swift actions of hospital staff were crucial. “If he didn’t get to the hospital in that moment and the nurse didn’t treat him within a certain timeframe, he said he would have died,” Chambers revealed.

Earlier this year, Foxx spoke publicly in Phoenix about the health scare, providing further details. “April 11th, last year, bad headache. Asked my boy for an Advil,” Foxx recalled. “I was gone for 20 days. I don’t remember anything.”

Foxx explained that he sought medical advice while in Atlanta, where a doctor warned him, “Something’s going on up there.” However, Foxx chose not to elaborate, telling the crowd, “I won’t say it on camera.”

This October, Foxx reflected on his return to the stage after an Atlanta show, expressing his gratitude on Instagram. “On October 3rd, 4th, and 5th, I had an opportunity to tell my side of the story, and there was no better place than Atlanta, Georgia,” Foxx shared. “I have to thank you, Atlanta—you showed up and showed out. I haven’t been on stage in 18 years, but I needed the stage and an audience made up of nothing but pure love, and that’s what you were.”

Foxx’s special promises a heartfelt and candid recounting of his experience, marking an emotional return to stand-up after nearly two decades. Fans are eagerly anticipating the chance to hear his story in his own words.