American actor and comedian Jamie Foxx has opened up about his harrowing health scare and recovery again.
Joined by his Back in Action co-star Cameron Diaz and Wicked stars Michelle Yeoh and Jonathan Bailey during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Foxx reflected on the life-altering experience, revealing his initial disbelief upon waking up from a coma in 2023.
“I had a bad situation happen, but I’m back now,” the 57-year-old said. “When something bad happens, you need people who really care about and love you to get through it.”
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Foxx revealed he had suffered a brain bleed that led to a stroke, leaving him in a coma for 20 days. When he regained consciousness, he initially thought he was being pranked.
“I said, ‘What? Where is Ashton Kutcher? Am I being Punk’d?’” he joked. “When it finally settled in, I realized I needed to find my way back—and humor became my lifeline. I told myself, ‘If I can stay funny, I can stay alive.’”
Foxx’s humor resurfaced quickly, as he entertained hospital staff with impersonations. “When they’d check on me, I was always cracking jokes, pretending to be someone else. For days, I was Denzel [Washington]. They probably thought something was wrong with me!”
Foxx first shared the details of his private health battle during his Netflix special, What Had Happened Was. In the special, he recounted an emotional moment when his sister insisted on a second medical opinion after he experienced a severe headache in April 2023.
“The first doctor tried to send me home, but another doctor said, ‘He’s having a brain bleed that’s led to a stroke,’” Foxx recalled. “You don’t dream of tragedy, but when it happens, you need someone like my sister—four-foot-eleven and full of love.”
True to his comedic style, Foxx added levity to the dark experience. “I saw the tunnel, but no light. It was hot in there, and I thought, ‘Am I going the wrong way?’ At the end of the tunnel, I thought I saw the devil, like, ‘Come on.’ Or was it Puffy?” he quipped, drawing laughter with his signature humor.
