Jamie Foxx delivers comedy, truth and heart in Netflix's special "What Had Happened Was..."

December 14, 2024

Courtesy: Netflix

If I can stay funny, I can stay alive - Jamie Foxx.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you have not seen Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was..., which premiered on Netflix on December 10, 2024, you are missing one of the most revealing, funniest, and emotional stand-up comedies in years. The special has already been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. The multi-talented, award winning performer best known for a portfolio of roles that includes The Jamie Foxx Show, Django Unchained, and Ray, of which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, took to the stage for the Netflix special to set the record straight on the health crisis and the long road to recovery he suffered last year.

When Foxx was suddenly hospitalized in April 2023, a plethora of rumors swirled around the actor, leading to a wave of unsubstantiated claims about his health (and death) as he was suddenly surrounded by his family and removed from the public eye, heightening the mysterious illness shrouded in secrecy. Standing in front of a packed Atlanta crowd and introduced by his daughter Corinne Foxx, he reveals the almost fatal stroke that left him near death which started with a headache that left him with memory loss. After seeking another professional opinion at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta (where he was shooting his upcoming Netflix movie Back in Action with Cameron Diaz), the doctor revealed he had suffered a nosebleed, which led to a stroke. The aftermath was rehabilitation in Chicago that he does not fully remember and resisting therapy.

Courtesy: Netflix

While Foxx has specifically chosen not to divulge what caused the nosebleed, the special showcases Foxx's strength, humility, and gratitude to the city of Atlanta, his family, the medical professionals who saved his life, and a spiritual connection to God. Overwhelmed by tears, this is the most vulnerable and candid we have seen Foxx standing in front of his adoring fans as he gives a performance that is rooted in his truth but also comedy, with a few impressive impersonations that includes Wesley Snipes, Jay-Z, Mike Tyson, Dave Chappelle, Katt Williams, and even Donald Trump while addressing the Sean "P Diddy" Comb's sexual allegations.

Amid the jokes and comedy, Foxx is a man who is thankful to be alive and knows he has a second chance at life as he praises the efforts of his nurse Holly, his sister Deidra Dixon, who was instrumental in the professional care he received, to his daughters Corinne and Anelise. Anelise, the youngest, played her guitar for the audience but also played the following days after his stroke, which he cited as his "spiritual defibrillator."  

The special is not just a routine stand-up but a celebration of Foxx's life as he takes to the piano and reminds us that laughter is the gift that keeps giving. Reminiscing on his greatest accomplishments, we are reminded that the multi-talented performer has a second lease on life and he intends to live life to its fullest.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jaime Fox: What Had Happened Was... is currently streaming on Netflix.

__________________________________________________________________________