Jamie Foxx described the “excruciating” process of turning his mysterious health scare into comedy in a clip to Gayle King: CBS Mornings It was posted to Instagram on Monday.
The video was recorded backstage on the last night of Foxx's three-night stand-up show in Atlanta to film his new Netflix comedy special. What happened?. The special marks the first time Foxx has detailed his medical ordeal publicly. And to him, that required carrying a level of soul that the comedian and actor wouldn't want to replicate.
“It was excruciating to be able to open these wounds every day for three nights,” Foxx admitted. “It was so excruciating because anxiety is what gets you down.” he continued. “We've got a great show in the room, but we don't know what they might laugh at or what they won't laugh at. Any comedian will tell you that's the thing, the main thing is anxiety.”
In addition to revealing deeply personal details, this set also represented another troubling departure for the veteran artist. The three nights Foxx spent recording the special were also the first three nights he presented the material to a live audience.
“Usually when you do a stand-up special, you go out for a year and a half and work every nook and cranny, then you put it on tape,” Foxx said. “You don't come to Atlanta and turn on the camera.”
Foxx was admitted to an Atlanta hospital in 2023 due to a “medical complication,” his daughter Corinne said. He was released a month later but kept statements about the incident to a minimum. In July 2023, Foxx said he had “been to hell and back” during the ordeal. This July, Foxx was seen in a viral video explaining to fans that he was taking Advil for a bad headache and suddenly it “disappeared for 20 days.” I don't remember anything.”
Speaking to King backstage during the taping of his special, Foxx said he was waiting to tell him the full story because “this is a personal journey,” adding: “I'll never go through that again. My next jokes will start with 'knock, knock.' “I'll be making 'knock, knock' jokes for an hour and a half,” he cracked.
“Let's sit back, watch, and build towards a newer, brighter, healthier future,” Foxx told fans about the upcoming special.
Netflix has not announced the release date yet What happened?.