Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx has shared harrowing details about the medical crisis he faced last year, revealing in his Netflix special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was that he suffered a brain bleed leading to a stroke. The Hollywood icon, known for his magnetic performances in films like Ray and Django Unchained, recounted his experience and the challenges he overcame during his recovery.

Foxx disclosed that the ordeal began on April 11, 2023, while filming a Netflix project in Atlanta. “I was having a bad headache, and I asked my boy for an aspirin. Before I could get the aspirin, I went out,” he said. “I don’t remember 20 days.”

His sister, who he lovingly described as “4 foot 11 of nothing but pure love,” rushed him to Piedmont Hospital. There, doctors discovered that Foxx was experiencing a brain bleed that led to a stroke. The situation was dire. “They told me I would die without an operation,” Foxx recounted.

Following the surgery, doctors warned him that while he might make a full recovery, it would be the hardest year of his life.

Foxx’s family kept his condition under wraps, shielding him from public scrutiny. The actor admitted he was “so dizzy” that his head would bob uncontrollably. His daughter, Corinne Foxx, was particularly protective, fearing that people might turn him into an internet meme if they saw him in his vulnerable state.

On May 4, Foxx woke up in a wheelchair, shocked to learn from a friend that he had suffered a stroke. “Jamie Foxx don’t get strokes,” he remembered saying.

Determined to recover, Foxx was flown to a rehab center in Chicago, where he was told to shed his “arrogant” mindset if he wanted to heal fully.

Foxx remained largely out of the public eye during his recovery, with his family and friends respecting his preference for privacy. In July 2023, he addressed the speculation in an Instagram video, explaining why he stayed silent about his health. “I just didn’t want you to see me like that, man,” he said. “I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie.”

By August 2023, Foxx was feeling more like himself, sharing on social media, “You’re looking at a man who is thankful… It’s been an unexpected dark journey… but I can see the light.”

Reflecting on his recovery, Foxx expressed immense gratitude. In a TikTok video this past summer, he recalled how it all began with a “bad headache” and admitted he doesn’t remember much from the 20 days that followed.