'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQF/8QAIBAAAQMEAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgEDBQAEESEGE2HB4f/EABUBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/8QAFxEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAhMf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AweVWTNvwiBk7c3jGQlHmHgUtdaDpN+c+qnKKiRJRRq5REXGO75SlU4E7f//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jamie Foxx recently appeared on The Graham Norton Show with Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, and his Back in Action co-star, Cameron Diaz.
During the episode, Foxx talked about suffering from a stroke in 2023 and making a recovery. The Django Unchained star told how he didn't have any recollection of the 20 days after he had the stroke. Jamie Foxx explained how he couldn’t walk or do much other than “being funny.”
The Hollywood icon claimed he remained funny by mimicking other celebrities such as Denzel Washington. Here’s what Foxx said on The Graham Norton Show,
“When they would come check on me, I was always telling jokes to the point to where they thought that something was wrong with me. ‘Cause I never answered, like... ‘Where are you sir?’ ‘I’m at the fix-it place.’”
He further added,
“I was never myself, you know, I would always be somebody else is… ‘Who are you?’ And for like three days I was Denzel [Washington].”
The White House Down star had also added the same anecdote into his Netflix special, “Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…,” which had dropped on December 10, 2024. Read on to learn more about the bit performed by Foxx.
Jamie Foxx stayed funny and alive by mimicking Denzel Washington, Dave Chappelle, and more through his illness
Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… featured the Ray actor narrating the story behind the health scare he faced in 2023. Foxx's family admitted him to the hospital in April 2023 following a stroke. The actor was comatose for 20 days before getting discharged to get admitted to a rehab in Chicago. His physical state had restricted his movement, but Foxx claimed his sense of humor remained intact.
In his special, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 actor said,
“I lost everything. But the only thing I could hold onto was… was my sense of humor. I never let that go. I couldn’t necessarily walk that good. I couldn’t talk that good. But I… But I didn’t let go of my funny. I said, ‘If I can stay funny, I can stay alive.’”
He further continued,
“So I was always crackin’ jokes to the point to where the nurses thought I was really losin’ my mind. And I was never myself. Never myself. ‘Cause it’s a wellness check, they ask you who you are. For five days, I was Denzel Washington. It was Denzel."
Foxx imitated Denzel Washington,
"All right. Okay. All right, so that’s what you’re telling me. Okay. All right. You gotta wipe my a**, huh? Okay. All right. Okay. That’s what you’re telling me. I had a stroke. Okay. All right. You gotta wipe my… Ah. My nurses. My nurses.”
Trending
Foxx also explained how he also imitated Dave Chappelle, Mike Tyson, Jay-Z, and Donald Trump to “stay funny” and “alive.” He credited his sister, daughter, other family members, and Atlanta for saving him.
Fortunately, Jamie Foxx has recovered and is back in action with his recent Netflix movie opposite Cameron Diaz. Back in Action was shot in 2023, and body doubles were used to step in for Foxx, who was hospitalized then. Interestingly, the film also marks the return of Diaz to acting after more than eight years of hiatus.
Your perspective matters!
Start the conversation
