After much teasing, Jamie Foxx says she will finally share the details of her mysterious 2023 medical emergency. But it will be on her terms, in a “fun way” and probably on stage.
The Oscar and Grammy winner, who suffered an undisclosed “medical complication” in April and raised concerns about his well-being for months, revealed Sunday that he will return to his roots as a comedian to tell everyone what happened.
Variety reported that the multihyphenate offered attendees at the African American Film Critics Association's Special Achievement Awards luncheon a sample of his material, which was “a mix of heartfelt reflection” and “some top-notch jokes.”
The “Ray” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” star delivered his lines while accepting the Producers Award from the partnership with his Foxxhole Productions partner, Datari Turner, who co-produced the Netflix mystery comedy “They Cloned Tyrone.” ” and Amazon's courtroom drama “ The Burial.”
Jamie Foxx attends the African American Film Critics Association Special Achievement Awards Luncheon on Sunday in Los Angeles.
(Jordan Strauss/Invision/Associated Press)
But the 56-year-old knew people had something else on their mind.
“Everyone wants to know what happened and I'm going to tell them what happened. But I have to do it my way,” Foxx said, according to Variety. “I will do it in a fun way. We will be on stage. “We’re going to go back to the roots of stand-up.”
“It's going to be called 'What Happened' and it's going to have all the things that happened, especially on our side of our community,” he said. The comic referred to rampant speculation about his health emergency, including sightings of Foxx “clones” and the rumor that he “jumped out of a car to save this black woman's purse.”
Representatives for Foxx did not immediately respond Tuesday to the Times' request for further comment on the plans.
“The Jamie Foxx Show” and “In Living Color” alum also told the audience that he was grateful and emotional remembering the episode “because it was really… it's beyond reach.”
“Appreciate life. I have some people in my life that really made sure I was here because I was in a desperate situation,” he added.
Concerns about Foxx's well-being began on April 12 when his daughter Corinne announced in a since-deleted Instagram post that he had had a medical emergency and was “already on the road to recovery” due to “quick action and a great attention”. In the absence of official updates from Camp Foxx, reports persisted speculating about the multihyphenate. TMZ reported that he had been hospitalized for at least three weeks in Atlanta after suffering the medical complication while working on his latest film, “Back in Action,” his co-star Cameron Diaz's highly anticipated comeback acting project. (He met her on set in January.)
About a month after her initial announcement, Corinne Foxx shut down the rampant hospitalization rumors, lamenting “how the media goes crazy” and adding that her father had “been out of the hospital for weeks, recovering” and even playing pickleball. Both Foxxes turned over “Beat Shazam” hosting duties to their friends Nick Cannon and Kelly Osbourne during the health crisis, but have since said they will return to hosting.
The film and television star spoke about the health issue for the first time in July, but never shared the nature of the ailment or the diagnosis. In August, Foxx told his fans that he was “finally starting to feel like myself.”
“It has been a dark and unexpected journey…but I can see the light…I am grateful to everyone who reached out and sent well wishes and prayers…I have so many people to thank…you just don't know how much it meant . .”
In December, when he was presented with the Vanguard Award at the Critics Choice Celebration of Cinema & Television, Foxx addressed some of the speculation about his health, as well as joking that he's “not a clone.”
“I've been through some things. You know she's crazy, she couldn't do that six months ago. She actually couldn't walk.” he said. “I know a lot of people said I was cloned, well you guys ain't shit.”
