Jamie Foxx says he was in coma, on the brink of death during mysterious health scare in new special: insider
Demecos Chambers told Fox News Digital that Foxxs health scare was extremely serious and he was told he had a "30% likelihood of surviving."
Jamie Foxx is back and better than ever.
After he suffered from a mystery illness last year which left him hospitalized in a weekslong coma, Foxx, 55, set the record straight on his health crisis.
During his Netflix comedy special, "Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was," he detailed what led to his medical emergency. The special was filmed in Atlanta in October.
JAMIE FOXX SAYS HE WAS IN A COMA, 'ON THE BRINK OF DEATH' DURING MYSTERIOUS HEALTH SCARE: INSIDER
Grammy winner Jamie Foxx suffered a "medical complication" in April 2023 while filming "Back in Action" with Cameron Diaz. (Jason Kempin)
Foxx emotionally broke down in tears several times throughout the special as he explained to fans what led him to a weekslong coma.
"I was fighting for my life," Foxx began to explain. "April 11, I was having a bad headache and I asked my boy for an aspirin… before I could get the aspirin… I went out. I don’t remember 20 days."
The "Beat Shazam" host said he was on the brink of death after he passed out and went into a coma that lasted several weeks. Foxx’s health was failing terribly, and his vitals were down.
After Foxx went to the first doctor, they gave him a cortisone shot and sent him home. However, his sister Deidra Dixon recalled Foxx being "lethargic" and knew something was "wrong" with him. She continued to find other hospitals and urged doctors to help her brother further.
Jamie Foxx gave an explanation behind his health scare after his mystery illness left him in a weekslong coma. (Getty Images)
Doctors shared with Foxx’s family at the time of his hospitalization that "he's having a brain bleed that's led to a stroke."
"If I don't go in his head right now, we're going to lose him," the doctor at Piedmont Hospital declared.
After Foxx's surgery, his doctor said to his sister, "You were right, your prayers are answered. We didn’t find where it was coming from, but he is having a stroke. He may be able to make a full recovery, but it’s going to be the worst year of his life."
Foxx continued, "I was so dizzy from the stroke… 20 days I don’t remember. On May 4, I woke up. When I woke up, I found myself in a wheelchair. I couldn’t walk."
"The "Django Unchained" actor thought his stroke was a "prank" at the time. He refused to see a therapist during his recovery until one healthcare worker demanded Foxx to snap out of it, since he was convinced, "Jamie Foxx don't get strokes."
"Listen, you gotta knock this s--- off, this whole Jamie Foxx s---, stop this arrogant bulls---, that stroke doesn’t give a f--- about who you are," the therapist told him.
Foxx claimed that moment gave him a reality check as he snapped out of it and worked hard toward his recovery.
At the time of the medical scare, Foxx was in Georgia working alongside Cameron Diaz for the upcoming Netflix film, "Back in Action." He received care in a hospital in Georgia, as he was "having tests run." Foxx returned to the "Back in Action" set in January 2024.
Jamie Foxx's has two daughters, Corinne and Anelise. (Gregg DeGuire)
Foxx said his daughters, Corinne and Anelise, and his sister "held it down" at the hospital. Corinne refused to let anyone else visit Foxx since she did not want anyone to see him hospitalized. He revealed doctors gave him "every medication" but it was not "working."
Foxx added that he leaned heavily on his faith during his near-death experience until he witnessed a miracle.
Anelise strummed the guitar for him while he was in a coma. Once her guitar-playing became a regular routine in the hospital, Foxx’s vitals miraculously began to pick up.
"My vitals are so bad, they're going to lose me. That’s when a miracle happened, and that miracle was working through my youngest daughter. She’s 14 – I didn’t want her to see me like that, but she snuck into my hospital room with my guitar. ‘I know what my daddy needs,’" Foxx explained.
"When she was playing, my vitals… went down… it was God in that guitar. Spiritual defibrillator."
WATCH: JAMIE FOXX SAYS HE WAS IN A COMA, 'ON THE BRINK OF DEATH' DURING MYSTERIOUS HEALTH SCARE: INSIDER
While doctors could not explain what exactly happened to Foxx, he finally woke up from his coma after his daughter continued to play the guitar for him.
Meanwhile, during his Netflix special, Foxx compared Sean "Diddy" Combs to the devil.
"Your life doesn’t flash before your face. It was kind of oddly peaceful. I saw the tunnel. I didn’t see the light," Foxx said.
"It was kind of hot in the tunnel… am I going to the wrong place? I looked at the end of the tunnel, and I thought I saw the devil… Or was that Puffy? I’m f---ing around but if that was Puffy, he had a flaming bottle of Johnson and … no, I’m just kidding."
Foxx referenced the claims that Combs was responsible for his hospitalization.
"Internet said ‘Puffy tried to kill me.’ I know what you’re thinking ‘Diddy?’" Foxx joked. "Hell naw – I left them parties early. I was out by 9:00 – something don’t look right. It’s slippery in here."
The comedian, throughout his special, said, "If I can stay funny, I can stay alive," as he did several impressions, including President-elect Donald Trump in his stand-up.
Foxx’s medical scare rocked headlines in April 2023.
Corinne revealed on April 12 that her father was recovering from a medical complication.
"Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery," she wrote on social media at the time. "We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time."
Nick Cannon, left, shared he had Jamie Foxx's blessing to speak about his health. (Johnny Louis/WireImage)
In May 2023, Nick Cannon filled in for Foxx as the host for the musical game show, "Beat Shazam." The following month, Foxx skipped out on his movie premiere for his new film, "They Cloned Tyrone." At the time, his co-stars revealed he was not responding to phone calls amid his medical mystery.
JAMIE FOXX HEALTH SCARE: NICK CANNON ADDRESSES ACTOR'S ABSENCE ON ‘BEAT SHAZAM’ PREMIERE
Three months after he privately battled his "medical complication," he spoke out about the matter in a video he posted to Instagram where he admitted he went to "hell and back."
Jamie Foxx said he went "to hell and back" during his health scare. (Karwai Tang)
Foxx previously mentioned that his sister Deidra and daughter Corinne saved his life.
JAMIE FOXX BREAKS SILENCE AMID MYSTERY 'MEDICAL COMPLICATION'
"I cannot tell you how great it feels to have your family kick-in in such a way … ya'll know they kept it airtight. They didn't let nothing out. They protected me, and that's what I hope everyone can have in moments like these."
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Foxx also addressed rumors that spread while he was in the hospital claiming he had been blinded or paralyzed, and said the allegations were not true, but that he had gone "to hell and back."
"My road to recovery had some potholes as well, but I'm coming back, and I’m able to work," he said at the time.
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Jamie Foxx first found fame on "In Living Color" before starring in his own self-titled sitcom. (ABC Photo Archives)
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The Grammy winner has eight projects slated for the future, according to IMDb, and wrapped filming on "Back in Action" this year after production was halted following his medical scare.
A long-awaited Mike Tyson biopic has been in the works for nearly a decade. Tyson will serve as an executive producer with Foxx for the film, in addition to Antoine Fuqua and Martin Scorsese.
Born Eric Marlon Bishop, he changed his name as a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx, a pioneer in the civil rights movement who found television success portraying Fred G. Sanford on "Sanford and Son."
Foxx shares Corinne, 30, with ex Connie Kline. The "Ray" star also has daughter Anelise Bishop, 15, with ex Kristin Grannis.
Foxx ended his Netflix special highlighting all of his projects through the span of his successful career -- from "In Living Color," his role in Michael Mann's biopic, "Ali," "Rio," "Django Unchained" and his character Ray Charles in the Oscar-winning biopic, "Ray." Foxx concluded his special by performing his popular songs, such as "Slow Jamz" and "Gold Digger," with Kanye West.
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Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
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