Jamie Foxx’s Netflix special: He talks about stroke for the first time

For a good year and a half there was only talk of a “medical emergency” or a “mysterious illness”. Now Jamie Foxx (56) has named what almost cost him his life in April 2023 in his special “What Had Happened Was…”, which was released on Netflix today (December 10th), for the first time. It was a stroke.

After a collage of news snippets about his breakdown, Jamie Foxx takes the stage in Atlanta. The hospital where his life was saved is less than 400 meters away. The actor and comedian forms a heart with his hands to the audience, who give him a standing ovation. Tears can be seen behind the sunglasses Foxx wears at the beginning. Then the all-rounder starts dancing – because he is happy to be alive. And to prove he’s not paralyzed. “You have no idea how good this feels,” he says.

Then Jamie tells Foxx what happened to him. On April 11, 2023, he had a severe headache. He asked his companions for aspirin. But before anyone could bring him the headache medicine, he lost consciousness.

His sister insisted on taking him to the hospital. There, a doctor initially told her that her brother had suffered a brain hemorrhage that led to a stroke. He needs to be operated on immediately. The doctor didn’t discover a cerebral hemorrhage, but there was no doubt that it was a stroke.

Jamie Foxx, who only woke up 20 days later, also talks about his way back to life. He was so dizzy that he kept shaking his head. This condition was one reason why his family initially kept him away from the public. He shouldn’t be made the laughing stock of memes, reveals Foxx.

With difficulty he learned to walk again. He also persevered through humor. “If I can stay funny, I will survive,” Foxx says on stage like a mantra.

He also made fun of the rumors that he had died and been replaced by a clone in the Netflix show. He proves that he is the original by reenacting scenes from his films and singing. In an emotional moment, he brings his 14-year-old daughter Annalize onto the stage. She plays the guitar, as she did in the hospital while her father was unresponsive.

Annalize was sure her father would survive because she dreamed of performing with him one day. This wish is now coming true. Jamie Foxx, on the other hand, maintained his goal of being able to lead his older daughter Corinne (30) down the aisle. This has also already been fulfilled, as evidenced by an image projected onto the background of the stage.

Despite many gags and impersonations (Donald Trump, Mike Tyson, Denzel Washington), the artfully constructed show “What Had Happened Was…” is not a pure comedy special. Often it becomes serious, sometimes pathetic. The deep religiosity is certainly unusual for European viewers.

But in every second you can feel Jamie Foxx’s gratitude and his joy at still being alive. The special impressively demonstrates what outstanding “unclonable” (Foxx refers to himself) talent the world almost lost a year and a half ago.