Jamie Foxx reveals details of his ‘near-death experience’ in new Netflix special

By Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN

(CNN) — Jamie Foxx told a packed audience at a taping for his Netflix special that he had a “near-death experience” and was in a weeks-long coma during his mystery health crisis that had him hospitalized in 2023.

Foxx’s Netflix standup special – “Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was,” which premieres next Tuesday – is billed as a “heartfelt return” in which the star “sets the record straight” and “expresses deep gratitude to those who prayed and supported his recovery, turning his show into a thank you to his fans,” according to Netflix’s description.

Two of Foxx’s fans who attended a taping of the special, which filmed in early October in Atlanta, told CNN that Foxx performed a one-man-show in which he revealed his diagnosis and discussed his recovery.

Netflix declined to comment on what would make the final cut. CNN reached out to representatives for Foxx.

Foxx said “he passed out and remembered waking up. He said it was a near-death experience,” Demecos Chambers, a longtime fan of Foxx who attended the standup taping in October, told CNN, sharing what the Oscar and Grammy winner said onstage. “He spoke about waking up in the hospital. He thought he just passed out for a second, but it was two or three weeks. He was in a stone-cold coma.”

Chambers said Foxx told the audience that he was unconscious for so long that when he woke up in the hospital, he had grown a beard.

Chambers and his friend with whom he attended the show both spoke to CNN. They said audience members were required to seal their phones in pouches during the performance but were not asked to sign any releases, so they could speak freely about the show.

Adding to the secretive nature of the standup special, Netflix is not sending members of the press advance screeners. Foxx is also not doing any interviews before the special premieres, according to the streamer.

Chambers said that Foxx does not hold back when revealing the chilling chronology of being hospitalized after passing out on-set in Atlanta, where he was in production on his upcoming Netflix film “Back in Action” with Cameron Diaz.

Foxx said onstage that “if he didn’t get to the hospital in that moment and the nurse didn’t treat him in a certain timeframe, he said he would have died,” according to Chambers, who added that the star expressed that he was “literally within an inch of his life. He was gone. It was lights out.”

Foxx has not publicly disclosed the specific diagnosis that led to his hospitalization.

This past summer, in a video shared to TikTok, the “Ray” actor said he had a “bad headache” and was then “gone for 20 days.” In that video, he was seen sharing that he did not “remember anything.” At the time of his hospitalization, his daughter Corinne Foxx said on social media that her famous father had suffered a “medical complication.”

Foxx told the audience at the taping for his special that his family kept him alive, sharing that one of his daughters was playing guitar next to his hospital bed when he finally woke up from his unconscious state, according to Chambers.

“His daughter was playing a family guitar and that is what woke him up and kept him alive during his coma,” Chambers recalled from Foxx’s standup. “He really worships his daughters. They play a significant part of the show. He says this situation gave him a grander perspective on life and the people around him.”

Part of the show, according to Chambers, is Foxx telling his own story – but he also tells the story of his medical mystery from the perspective of the media and speculation on social media, including false suggestions of Foxx being cloned, overdosing on drugs or being poisoned.

Chambers said that Foxx puts on an impressive show, during which he performs standup, dances, sings and plays the piano. Despite his health scare, Chambers said that he looked to be in good health.

“He was able to function on his own and didn’t need any assistance on stage. He’s very much active and robust, but you can tell that he’s recovering from a serious health issue – he’s more conscious of how he moves,” Chambers said. “But he talks about how great he feels and does some jumping up and down.”

He added, “Jamie is an amazing storyteller. He can tell a story where you feel like you’re sitting with your uncles. It was hilarious.”

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