What Happened To Jamie Foxx? He ‘Went To Hell & Back’ During Mystery Illness

On Saturday July 22, 2023, Jamie Foxx finally posted about his condition on his Instagram. He posted the video with the caption, “Thank u a billion to everybody… been a long road but all the prayers great people and God got me through…. 🙏🏾🙏🏾❤️”

Though he didn’t disclose what he had, he thanked all his fans. “I went through something that I thought I would never, ever go through,” he said in the video. “I know a lot of people were waiting or wanting to hear updates but to be honest with you, I just didn’t want you to see me like that man. I want you to see me laughing, having a good time partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, television show. I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was gonna make it through.”

He shouted out his support system. “To them, to God, to a lot of great medical people, I’m able to leave you this video,” he shared. “I cannot tell you how great it feels to have your family kick in in such a way, and y’all know they kept it airtight. They didn’t let nothing out. They protected me, and that’s what I hope that everyone could have in moments like these.” He also confirmed that he’s not “paralyzed” or “blind” as rumors circulated. “I went to hell and back, and my road to recovery had some potholes as well,” he explained. “But I’m coming back and I’m able to work.”

“I know they talk about people crying on videos,” he continued. “You can do a take two — I’m not gonna do a take two. It is what it is. If you see me out from now on and every once in a while I just burst into tears, it’s because it’s been tough, man. I’ve been sick, man. But now I’ve got my legs under me, so you’re gonna see me out. But like I said, I just want you to remember me for the jokes that I crack, the movies that I make — some of them good, some of them ain’t — I think I’ve got a good one out,” he joked, “and songs that I sing.”

He wrapped up the three-minute video assuring that he’s on the way o “I’m here on Earth because of some great people. I’m here on Earth because of God, man. I’m on my way back.”

On July 9, 2023, Jamie Foxx was spotted on a boat in Chicago waving to passers-by in footage obtained by TMZ. “Boat life 🦊 Celebrating summer with @brownsugarbbn,” he tweeted afterward. He also hit up a TopGolf in Nashville on July 8, 2023, and life is in full swing for him.

“Jamie is doing great,” a source told PEOPLE. “He is just taking it easy. He’s not really having any visitors or anything like that yet but he’s doing really really well.”

At the premiere of Jamie Foxx’s Netflix film They Cloned Tyrone, co-star John Boyega gave an update on his health. “He finally picked up the phone. Thank you, bro,” the Star Wars star told People. “He’s doing well. And then, you know, we just giving him the privacy, and we can’t wait for his return.”

“I gave him the well wishes directly,” the actor added. “I gave him all the well wishes. So I’m just gonna be waiting until he comes back out here. So take your time, Jamie. We love you, bro.”

Said Datari Turner, who co-produced the movie with Foxx, added “He’s doing amazing. I promise you. Doing really, really good. [Director] Juel [Taylor] talked to him yesterday. John Boyega talked to him yesterday. He’s in really, really good shape and spirits. And he’ll be back on the screen. He’ll be back to work very soon.”

Teyonah Parris, also told Entertainment Tonight that she wished him “all the recovery and healing” at the event, noting that “it was just such an honor to work with him.” She continued, “He’s so generous as an actor and as a human, along with John. I got lucky to be able to work with such dope men on this project, and dope men of color, that it was just so much fun,” said Parris, 35, noting that the “lively” Foxx brought “such an energy to the set.”

On June 27, 2023, a source told People about how Cameron Diaz felt about her co-star’s hospitalization. The source said that she was “shocked and saddened by Jamie’s health crisis.” They continued, “one day they were working together, and the next he was just gone. She wanted to be supportive and help out in any way, but his family has kept his status very quiet.”

The source noted that the filming of Back In Action in Atlanta was very hard. “The shooting schedule with Jamie was intense and pretty grueling. She was glad when they wrapped.”

On May 30, 2023, podcaster A.J. Benza claimed to Dr. Drew Pinsky on his podcast show Ask Mr. Drew that Foxx had a blood clot that led to a stroke and became “partially paralyzed and blind” after he received a COVID-19 vaccine. He alleged that Foxx was forced to get a vaccine while he was working on a film. The podcaster claimed he had a source “in the room.” The claim went rampant on social media with far-right commentators like Candace Owens sharing the claim on her Youtube-based podcast. “Their silence seems as though there is some veracity to this claim,” Owens said in the YouTube video. “We’re all holding our breath to see whether or not Jamie Foxx speaks out.”

According to NBC News, Foxx’s reps denied the claim saying that it was “completely inaccurate.” Newsweek fact-checked the claim and also reported that medical journals said that getting a blood clot from a COVID-19 vaccine was extremely rare. The government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System reported that of about 18 million people that got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, there were 60 cases—0.0003 percent—of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (a clotting disorder) reported, and nine people died. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has since been pulled by the Centers for Disease Control, per CNN.

On May 16, 2023, Mike Tyson went on the PBD podcast and claimed to have heard that Jamie Foxx suffered from a stroke.

“He’s not feeling well. They said a stroke. However, he clarified that he was not sure whether it was true and said, “I have no idea what happened to him.” He continued, “Hey, listen, we can’t anticipate our next breath. We don’t know when we are gonna die. … After we leave, this bad stuff can happen.”

“If we don’t know about it by now, they don’t want us to know,” he said.

Foxx was set to star as Tyson in a biopic, but many questions regarding his role arose. “Well, it was a possibility. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. But, you know, it’s a strong possibility,” the boxing champ said. “Because, you know, Jamie’s closer to my age, so in order to do him, they were going to do what they did with [the movie] Benjamin Button. They were going to make him look younger.”

According to TMZ, Jamie Foxx was transferred to a rehabilitation center in Chicago that specializes in stroke recovery, traumatic brain injury rehab, spinal cord injury rehab and cancer rehabilitation. His family members, Corinne and Anelise, as well as Anelise’s mother, Kristin Grannis, were seen driving to the hospital and bringing out flowers. Anelise even brought her guitar to supposedly serenade her father.

Two days after Corinne announced that her father was fine and out of the hospital, the father-daughter power duo announced that they were planning a new game show on Fox called We Are Family.

“We are thrilled to be developing ‘We Are Family’ with Jeff Apploff and our friends at Fox Entertainment after so much success with six seasons of ‘Beat Shazam,’” said Jamie Foxx and Corinne Foxx of their new project. “We hope this show brings as much fun to audiences at home as we’ve had creating it when it premieres next year.”

On May 3, 2023, Jamie Foxx gave an update on his health and thanked his fans for their support. In an Instagram post, he posted,  “Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed.” In a follow-up Instagram story he also shouted out Nick Cannon who was revealed to replace Foxx’s hosting duties on Beat Shazam “Appreciate ya my boy @nickcannon. See u all soon.”

According to sources to TMZ, sources close to Jamie confirm that he’s still in the hospital and ask fans to “pray for Jamie.”

Sources also said that Jamie will not be hosting the game show Beat Shazam this season. His daughter Corinne was the resident DJ for the show but will also not be returning to the season to look after her father.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Nick Cannon gives an update on how Jamie Foxx is doing. “Man, I’m praying,” Cannon said.  “You see, I posted on Instagram. I literally have been saying prayers out loud. Words of affirmation for my big brother.” He continued, “I know he’s doing so much better because I’m actually about to do something special for him, and doing him a favor.” While he didn’t specify what the favor was, he said, “I can’t really say what it is, but it’ll be out there soon,” Cannon said. “I was reluctant to go all the way there, and even talk about it, but he gave me the blessing, so it’s a beautiful thing. He’s awake. They say he’s alert, so, we love it.”

Cannon made a tribute to Jamie Foxx on Instagram when the news broke.  “Prayer Changes Things! Living Testament! Let’s all speak complete and total recovery for the most talented human on earth with a Spirit bigger than this small planet!! @iamjamiefoxx Gods power is working through you as we speak! Sickness, Low frequencies nor negativity have any authority over your life King!”

On April 21, 2023, a source told People that Foxx is “okay” but is still hospitalized. “He’s OK, thank God,” the source said. “He’s still in the hospital and doctors are running tests but he’s awake and alert. They’re keeping him under observation.”

In a Good Morning America report, the Oscar winner had been advised to “keep his stress level down” once he leaves the hospital. “Sources do tell People that they want to make sure that he is perfectly stable when they do eventually release him,” said Nigel Smith, a senior news editor at People told GMA. “But unfortunately, we still don’t know exactly when that will be.” Nigel added that Foxx “is stable and not in a life-threatening situation now.”

On April 17, 2023, a source told CNN that Foxx was still in the hospital and that he was still recovering. “They are running tests and still trying to figure out what exactly happened,” a source told CNN of Foxx’s health scare. People also confirmed Foxx’s hospitalization, but a source also said that he is steadily improving.

On April 14, 2023, Kerry Washington made an Instagram post for her movie husband. She played his character’s wives in both Django Unchained and Ray. She captioned the post, “A @iamjamiefoxx appreciation post. Sending you all the love and prayers my movie huzbin🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾” Viola Davis also posted, “Get well @iamjamiefoxx. We need you…. your light, your brilliance. ❤”

LeBron James also tweeted,” Sending my thoughts and prayers to the heavens above to my brother @iamjamiefoxx !!!! Get well and back to yourself SOONER THAN LATER! God willing 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾✨✨✨✨✨✨🤎”

On April 13, 2023, People obtained a memo where a casting director on Back in Action informed extras that a scene set to film this Sunday has been canceled due to “changes in production.”

Per the memo, the original scene will not be rescheduled due to the changes, but scenes scheduled to film on Monday and Tuesday are expected to move forward as planned.

On April 12, 2023, Jamie Foxx’s daughter Corinne Foxx issued a since-deleted statement on her Instagram. “We wanted to share that my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday,” the statement read. “Luckily, due to quick action and care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time.”

A source “with direct knowledge” told TMZ that Fox experienced a “medical emergency” Tuesday morning on April 10, 2023, and was taken to the hospital. They were told his condition was serious enough that Jamie’s family, many who came out of town, came to the hospital. One source told the tabloid site, “He’s communicating now, and that’s good news.”

Foxx has been open about his health in the past. He talked about his struggle with substance abuse. ‘When [Kanye] talked about the drugs, the mental drugs, I’ve had an episode of that,’ he said in a 2018 interview with Hip Hop Hollywood. ‘When [Kanye] was talking about the, “I went in for two pills, and then seven pills [he received from the hospital],’ that’s real!’”

He also recalled being hospitalized when he was a teenager to Oprah.“I couldn’t move, couldn’t talk, couldn’t even say, ‘Take me to the hospital,” he said. “It happened to me when I was 18, and I had 11 months of harsh flashbacks, and then when I was 26 I had a flashback just like that – and another one when I was 32, and that was the last one, but I always worry about it coming back.”