At 58, actor, comedian and singer Jamie Foxx says he has “unfinished business” and is feeling more creative than ever, three years after a health scare sent him to the hospital.
“Man, I almost died,” Foxx told ABC News’ Will Reeve in an interview that aired Monday on Good Morning America. “I was almost outta here. Stand-up comedy doesn’t come from an accomplished position. I have something to connect with people and say, ‘Hey, man, I went through some stuff and I’m gonna tell it as funny as I can, but as real as I can.'”
In 2023, Foxx experienced a brain bleed that led to a stroke. He said nurses told him afterward that his chances of survival were slim.
“I went back to see those nurses that kept me alive,” Foxx recalled. “She said, ‘But Jamie, I’m gonna tell you something, you a miracle. You’re a three percenter.’ I said, ‘What’s that mean?’ She said, ‘Less than 3% of people that come in with what you have walk out of here.'”
But Foxx said his close circle of friends and loved ones helped him make a major recovery.
“They saw me at my most, you know, vulnerable. I had to depend on people,” Foxx said. “I came to. I was in a wheelchair. I said, ‘What’s up with the wheelchair?!’ When we all go, it’s how they speak your name. It’s how they feel about you. So, I kind of keep that in the back of my head when I’m telling jokes.”
Following medical treatment and a recovery plan that involved playing pickleball, Foxx is back on stage, returning to his comedy roots.
“I’ve never been as creative as I am now, 58 years old, but I just still feel like there’s some things that I’m really trying to get at,” he said.
Foxx’s latest project is a new Hulu standup special called Take Care of Yourself, which was filmed in Oakland, California, where Foxx kickstarted his career when he won the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition & Festival back in 1991. He even welcomed one of his daughters, Anelise, to share the spotlight with him in the special.
“To be on stage with my little one, with my daughter, to have her on stage with me rocking, showing her musical talents, and she’s basically a quiet person, but her showing her artistry, that feels good,” he said.
The new standup special, Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself, premieres Wednesday on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
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