Jamie Foxx: Im not paralyzed but I went to hell and back
Back in April, Jamie Foxx was hospitalized for a “medical complication.” Rumors swirled about what happened, but we still don’t know the nature of his medical emergency. Weeks after that, unsubstantiated reports came out that Jamie was allegedly on death’s door and his family was preparing for the worst. His daughter Corinne shut those rumors down and said he was out of the hospital, recovering so well he was even playing pickle ball. Jamie also posted to Instagram to thank everyone for the well wishes. Then Corinne announced that she and her dad were going to host a musical celebrity game show. Since then we haven’t had any updates on his health. But this past Saturday he posted a video on Instagram where he addressed rumors of blindness and paralysis (neither of which are true), thanked his family for saving his life, and explained why he stayed out of the spotlight. He didn’t want people to see him in a weakened state “with tubes” coming out of his body.
Jamie Foxx is letting fans know he’s on the road to recovery.
The Ray star, 55, took to Instagram on Saturday morning to share a video in which he spoke about the “medical complication” that caused him to be hospitalized back in April. While he didn’t specify what the condition was that forced him to seek medical attention, Foxx chose to focus on his gratitude for those who carried him through the ordeal.
Alongside a caption that read “Thank u a billion to everybody… been a long road but all the prayers great people and God got me through,” Foxx went on to explain why he stayed so quiet during the experience.
“I know a lot of people were waiting or wanting to hear updates but to be honest with you, I just didn’t want you to see me like that man,” he shared, speaking directly into the camera. “I want you to see me laughing, having a good time partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, television show. I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was gonna make it through.”
Foxx credited his family’s discerning nature in the three-minute video, noting how great it felt that “they kept it airtight, they didn’t let nothing out, they protected me, and that’s what I hope that everyone could have in moments like these.”
The actor used the opportunity to dispel any rumors that have revolved since his emergency first occurred, including claims that he suffered from paralysis and vision impairment.
“As you can see, the eyes are working, the eyes are working just fine,” he said. “I’m not paralyzed, but … I went to hell and back, and my road to recovery had some potholes as well. But I’m coming back and I’m able to work.”
Foxx’s statement on Saturday was one brimming with gratitude. Foxx thanked “a lot of great medical people,” as well as the legions of fans and friends who shared their prayers.
“I wanna say thank you to everybody that’s prayed, man, and sent me messages. I cannot even begin to tell you how far it took me and how it brought me back.”
He concluded by sharing that he “loves everybody and I love all of the love that I got,” he added. “If you see me out from now on and every once in a while I just burst into tears, it’s just because it’s been tough, man. I was sick, man. But now I got my legs under me, so you’re gonna see me out.”
I completely understand why Jamie didn’t want anyone to see him while he wasn’t doing well. I think that’s how most people would feel but it’s especially relevant for a celebrity who is always trying to project a certain image. Some people commented on my previous coverage of this story that there is an insurance aspect to why he’s kept the nature of his health problems under wraps. As in, they think whatever happened could have rendered him un-insurable for future projects and that’s why he doesn’t want anyone to know. I could see that but I think it has more to do with image management. I also think there are cultural expectations about men being stoic and not showing any weakness, and there’s a racial element to that because Black men are expected to be hyper-masculine. They’re judged more harshly for being vulnerable. Jamie gets emotional in the video and I think he is still working through trauma about what happened. I’m so glad he’s recovering and doing better–it sounds like whatever happened was incredibly scary and life-threatening.
Photos credit: JPI Studios / Avalon and via Instagram
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