I Was In Tears, Literally, After Watching Jamie Foxx's Heartfelt Netflix Special

“Atlanta saved my life" comedian, singer, and actor Jamie Foxx repeated in front of a crowd of his supporters for his Netflix comedy special What Had Happened Was; some cheering, some praising “God is good” and nodding in agreement. 

He told the crowd he started doing stand up comedy back in 1991 in Atlanta so it is “fitting he came back to Atlanta to tell his story.”

The comedy special premiered on Netflix on Tuesday, December 10, and already sparked headlines. 

Side note: Before I delve into What Had Happened Was, I have to say this is a major spoiler alert. 

Back in April of 2023, the comedian had an unspecified medical emergency that landed him in the hospital, leaving social media to make assumptions about what really happened. He told the crowd he doesn’t remember 20 of those days he was ill. The day he started getting sick, he had a headache and before he could retrieve medicine from his friend, he said he was “out.” After going to the doctor and his illness being disregarded, his little sister Deidra took initiative by driving around Atlanta and coming across Piedmont hospital. She said that “some angels are in there, and that’s what we gone need.”

The doctor at Piedmont told his sister that Foxx's brain was bleeding and that led to a stroke. 

“When you dream about what you want to be in life, you don't dream tragedy,” Foxx said. 

The doctor then told her that if he did not go “in his head" at that moment (surgery), they were going to lose him. 

Foxx received the operation and acknowledged that his sister prayed the entire time for him. The doctor let her know that they didn’t find what they were looking for but Foxx was having a stroke and it would be the “worst year of his life.” 

He continued by saying his sister and daughter Corinne Foxx held him down throughout the entire time, saying they did not want the world to see him like that.

On May 4, he woke up and was in a wheelchair and could not walk and could not recall anything that had happened. Although he held back tears as he remembers all that he has been through last year, he ensured that he had the crowd laughing in between such a heavy conversation with his “mystery illness” he repeated, comically mocking comedian Katt Williams. 

Foxx described the process of therapy and getting back on his feet, the doctors and medical professionals who helped him, and all the times he felt defeated all while fighting back emotional tears on stage, and keeping the audience laughing.

“I lost everything, but the only thing I could hold onto was my sense of humor.”

 “If I could stay funny I could stay alive.”

He also revealed that during this 20 day period his vitals got really bad and they thought they were going to lose him. His youngest daughter, Anelise, had snuck into the hospital room with her guitar saying, “I know what my daddy needs.”  When she started playing her guitar his vitals miraculously went down. “It was God in that guitar,” he said to a crowd of clapping fans. “…as my spiritual defibrillator.” 

To the audience’s surprise, Anelise joined him on stage with her guitar. They embrace each other and Foxx continued with, “When you think about as you grow older, you wonder about those hard times. Who’s gone be there! Who is actually gonna be there?” 

His daughter began playing her guitar as her proud, emotional father cheered her on. 

Fox thanked her for stepping up when all was lost and she told him that he had to make it because she always dreamed they would perform together on stage one day. As she started playing, Foxx started to poetically sing with a beautiful slideshow of his children. 

To end the special he discussed the rumors of him being a clone and proceeded to show a slideshow with his notable characters he’s portrayed on tv repeatedly saying, “you can’t clone this.” He then starts performing snippets of some of his musical hits including “Slow Jamz “ and “Gold Digger.” 

As soon as the special started, you instantly felt the pain in his voice, but the gratefulness in his spirit. He is a man who is proud to be here today, and super thankful for his tribe for their continued support. I found his story to be truly inspiring, and one that made me count all my blessings. As Foxx stressed in his special, at the end of the day, all the money and fame doesn't matter. What truly matters are those who show you continuous, unwavering love through good, bad, better, or worse.