Three months after he was hospitalized for an undisclosed illness, Jamie Foxx has released a video statement saying he’s not blind, he’s not paralyzed, but he is grateful.
In the video posted to Instagram late Friday night, the Oscar-winning actor got emotional and fought back tears. While he did not say what caused him to become ill, he admitted that he feared he might not “make it through.”
“First of all, I want to say thank you to everybody that’s prayed and sent me messages — I cannot even begin to tell you how far it took me and how it brought me back,” the Ray star said. “I went through something that I thought I would never, ever go through.”
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The actor, comedian and singer said he waited to release details on his health journey until he was ready to speak publicly.
“I know a lot of people were waiting or wanting to hear updates, but to be honest with you, I just didn’t want you to see me like that,” he explained. “I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie or television show. I didn’t want you to see tubes running out of me, and [I was] trying to figure out if I was going to make it through.”
[Watch the video below]
He noted that his sister Deidra Dixon, his daughter Corinne Foxx, “great medical people,” and God saved his life. The actor also praised his family for maintaining his privacy.
“Y’all know they kept it airtight,” he said. “They didn’t let nothing out. They protected me, and that’s what I hope that everyone can have in moments like these.”
Although he did acknowledge that by not releasing information sooner, speculation about his condition ran rampant.
“People said I was blind, but as you can see, the eyes are working, eyes are working just fine,” he said jokingly, while making a cross-eyed gesture in a move reminiscent of his character Wanda from the 1990s sketch comedy series In Living Color.
“They said I was paralyzed. I’m not paralyzed, but I did go through, I went to hell and back and the road to recovery had some potholes as well,” he continued.
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The actor also expressed gratitude for the well-wishes he received from his friends, fans, and acting colleagues.
“I love everybody and I love all the love that I got,” he said. “I’ve been sick, and now I’ve got my legs under me.”
He concluded by making reference to his new Netflix film, They Cloned Tyrone, which began streaming today. The film also stars Teyonah Parris, John Boyega, David Alan Grier, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Kiefer Sutherland, and centers on a government conspiracy to clone people in a Black neighborhood.
“I’m not a clone,” Jamie Foxx said. “I’m on my way back.”
The actor was admitted to a hospital in Georgia on April 11. His daughter Corinne shared the news in a since-deleted Instagram post and told fans, “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.”
Foxx, 55, was in Atlanta filming the Netflix movie Back in Action with Cameron Diaz when he became ill. Production was temporarily shut down on the film, but continued with stunt doubles and body doubles being used in place of Foxx.
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