Jamie Foxx Makes First Official Public Appearance Since Mystery Illness
On the 11th of April, earlier this year, it was reported that actor/singer/comedian Jaime Foxx, had suffered a ‘medical complication’ and was admitted to an Atlanta hospital. The news was broken by his daughter, Corinne in a (now deleted) Instagram post, in which she said:
“We wanted to share that my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday. Luckily, due to quick action and great 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.”
Corinne Foxx and her father, Jamie Foxx.
As you can imagine, the internet instantly went wild with speculation. Over just a few days, he had (according to reports) suffered a stroke, a heart attack, was paralysed from the neck down, had died, was dying, had an accident… the list goes on. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to the popular actor, who has starred in movies such as Django Unchained, Collateral, Ray, The Amazing Spider-Man and many more.
On 12th April, production on Foxx’s upcoming movie Back in Action, was paused to give Jamie time to recover from his mystery illness. However, filming was quickly resumed with Foxx’s body double. Back in Action also stars Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close and will be released on Netflix. Not too much is known about the synopsis at the moment, certainly not enough for me to comment on. That being said, the title certainly seems prophetic, given the circumstances.
On 23rd April, Nick Cannon gave an update on Foxx’s condition, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight stating:
“Man, I’m praying. You see, I posted on Instagram. I literally have been saying prayers out loud. Words of affirmation for my big brother. I know he’s doing so much better because I’m actually about to do something special for him, and doing him a favour. I can’t really say what it is, but it’ll be out there soon. 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.”
On 3rd May, Foxx posted on Instagram ‘Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed’ followed by prayer hands, a heart and a fox emoji.
On 5th May, a source told People magazine Foxx was still in the hospital but was "stable and not in a life-threatening situation. “Doctors are doing more tests and want to be completely sure that he will be OK before allowing him to go home”, the source told the outlet. The hospital was "the last place Jamie wants to be" while he recovers from the "medical complication." "He has a lot of projects going on," the insider added. "He gets things done; he is focused and astute. What happened to him medically is serious enough to keep him in the hospital." (source: Fox11)
On 12th May, Corinne gave an update on her father’s condition, stating:
“Update from the family: Sad to see how the media runs wild. My Dad has been out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating. He was playing pickleball yesterday! Thanks for everyone’s prayers and support! We have an exciting work announcement coming next week too!. ”
Her comment was in response to the fact that the media was reporting that the family was ‘preparing for the worst’. More wild speculation, which didn’t stop there. Jamie Foxx uploaded an Instagram post on 22nd July.
Sadly, this is where things got even more fucking ridiculous, with idiots sure that Jamie Foxx had died and had been replaced by a clone. Like he’s Dolly the bloody sheep. I get that people want to know what is going on. I get it. It is human nature (unfortunately). However, we do not have the right to know the private business of others, regardless of whether they are in the public eye. They are not our friends. They are not obliged to tell us what is going on in their lives, just because we watch them on the big screen. People are entitled to a private life and this absurd spread of rumour is harmful and unjust.
Anyway, the rumours continued. Moving forward, Foxx made his first public appearance at the Critic’s Choice Awards, on Monday night. In his appearance, Foxx said:
“I want to thank everybody. I’ve been through something. I’ve been through some things. You know, it’s crazy I couldn’t do that six months ago, I couldn’t actually walk, so it feels good to be here. I cherish every single minute now. It’s different.”
Check out this X (tweet) from the official Critic’s Choice Awards account.
Jamie Foxx makes a surprise emotional appearance at the Critics Choice Celebration of Cinema & Television. @iamjamiefoxx #jamiefoxx #criticschoice #cccelebration pic.twitter.com/MzzqruWqRf
— Critics Choice Awards (@CriticsChoice) December 5, 2023
Whatever the illness, it is great to see Jamie Foxx back on his feet and recovering well. We can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next.