Jamie Foxx has opened up about the frustration and existential questions he faced following a near-fatal stroke in 2023, per ew.com.
The Oscar-winning actor revealed that he relied heavily on comedy and impressions to navigate his grueling rehabilitation.
Speaking on the podcast Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, the 58-year-old actor reflected on the medical emergency that nearly took his life. Foxx admitted he initially struggled to accept why he was suffering from severe health problems, questioning why someone who brought joy to others would face such a crisis. He recalled pushing back against medical staff during recovery when told he had been given a second chance at life.
Throughout his hospital stay in Atlanta, Foxx used humour as a coping mechanism and a way to maintain his identity. His daughter, Corinne Foxx, recalled that her father would frequently break into celebrity impressions, including one of Denzel Washington, when medical professionals attempted to conduct wellness checks or assess his cognitive progress.
Foxx later returned to the hospital to thank the 60 nurses who kept him alive. He shared that one nurse told him fewer than three percent of patients who arrived with his specific condition survived to walk out of the facility, making him a medical miracle.
The experience later inspired his 2024 Netflix stand-up comedy special, What Had Happened Was, which he described as an excruciating process of reopening emotional wounds.