Jamie Foxx, 56, suffered a brain bleed and stroke that saw him 'lose 20 days of memory' and left him unable to walk - as he finally reveals reason for mystery hospitalisation

Jamie Foxx has finally revealed the reason behind his mystery hospitalisation last year, explaining he suffered a stroke caused by a bleed on the brain.

The Django Unchained actor, 56, was rushed to A&E in April 2023 after suffering a mystery 'medical complication', which his family decided to keep private at the time. 

Jamie has now revealed exactly what happened to him and admitted that he lost 20 days worth of memory and was unable to walk amid his terrifying health battle.

During an emotional scene on his Netflix special, What Had Happened Was....: he recalled: 'On April 11, I was having a bad headache, and I asked my boy for Aspirin. 

'I realised quickly that when you're in a medical emergency, your boys don't know what the f**k to do.'

Jamie then confessed: 'I don't remember 20 days.'

Becoming emotional, Jamie broke down in tears as he declared to the audience that he was 'back', adding: 'You don't know how good this feels.'

The Hollywood star went on to admit it's still 'a mystery' what led to his brain bleed, adding: 'We still don't know exactly what happened to me.'

After starting his sentence with 'What had happened was,' Jamie broke down in tears and was comforted by the applauding audience.

He continued: 'Your life doesn't flash before you. It was kind of oddly peaceful. I saw the tunnel, but I didn't see the light. It was hot in that tunnel.'

Jamie then quipped: 'S**t, am I going to the wrong place?'

The Oscar-winning actor credited his sister Deidra with 'saving his life' after she drove him to Atlanta's Piedmont Hospital, where he underwent a life-saving procedure.

Addressing why his family wanted to keep details of his health scare to themselves, he said: 'I was dizzy from the stroke, so my head would bob around, and my family thought everyone would "meme the f***" out of me."' 

Jamie went on to reveal that he vividly remembers waking up from his coma on May 4, and being unable to walk.

He recalled: 'When I woke up, I found myself in a wheelchair. I couldn't walk.'

Yet Jamie didn't want to believe he'd had a stroke and recounted his therapist telling him about his ego: 'You need to kill the old Jamie so the new Jamie can thrive.'

He also reflected: 'God blessed me with money and fame, but when I forgot about God, He blessed me with a stroke.'

The Netflix special marks Jamie's big return to the stage following his hospitalisation.

'If I can stay funny, I can stay alive,' he quipped in the first look teaser.

'This comedy event is a celebration of resilience, humor, and the power of community, reminding us all of the healing power of laughter,' a synopsis previously revealed.

Taking to Instagram, Jamie revealed his heart and soul were 'filled with nothing but pure joy' after he 'had an opportunity to tell my side of the story' over three nights October 3-5 in Atlanta, GA.

'I haven't been on stage in 18 years but I needed the stage and I needed an audience that was made up of nothing but pure love and that's what you were,' Jamie gushed on October 13.

'When people ask me is this a stand-up comedy show I say, "No, it's an artistic explanation of something that went terribly wrong."'

In a separate post on Tuesday, he shared: 'Personal thank you are in order. 

'Just want to jump on and say thank you to everybody that prayed and now you get a chance to hear what it really was it’s a blessing to be in the position that I’m in to be able to tell you my story in my way, so please go to Netflix right now And check out my special “ what had happened was”. 

'I hope the jokes make you laugh and I hope the story inspires you… It’s been a hell of a journey @netflix @netflixisajoke.' 

The comedy event is one of a number of forthcoming projects the A-list actor has on slate, as he headlines the comedy movie Back in Action for the streaming service in a reunion with Any Given Sunday and Annie co-star Cameron Diaz.

The film is expected to begin streaming January 17, 2025.

Concerns about Jamie's health began on April 12, 2023 when his daughter announced in an Instagram post that he had a medical emergency while filming in Georgia but was 'already on his way to recovery'.

In a statement written on behalf of her family, she explained: 'We wanted to share that my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday.

'Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time.'

Jamie was hospitalised just a few weeks after he returned to the set of the trouble-hit thriller Back in Action, amid reports he had a 'meltdown' that allegedly caused his co-star Cameron, 50, to want to quit acting again.

At the time of having to abort filming, Jamie was said by the LA Times to only have had eight days of shooting left. Days after his absence, Cameron was seen filming with his body double.

The spy thriller shows the Charlie's Angels star and the Ray actor as ex-CIA agents who are now married with kids.

They are drawn back into the spy business, however, but things get complicated because their children have no idea what they do for a living.

In June, a close friend of Cameron's admitted to DailyMail.com that even the actress 'wasn't sure' what was going on with the project, adding that the starlet 'wasn't very proud of it' because of all the on-set drama that had transpired in the lead-up to Jamie's hospitalisation.

'Cameron has not spoken to Jamie at all and does not know anything other than what she hears,' the insider revealed.

The actress was - according to her friend - ready to quit acting for a second time when problems started occurring behind the scenes of Back In Action. 

The ongoing issues are said to have caused Cameron and Jamie to get into heated arguments on-set.

Their disagreements were reportedly never resolved prior to Jamie's hospitalization, and the friend said that Cameron was suffering from huge 'guilt' over the fact that she and her pal never 'made amends'.

Development on the movie commenced in June 2022, when it was revealed that Cameron would be coming out of retirement in order to appear in the feature.

Production started around December that year and was halted the following April when Jamie suffered his medical emergency. 

The following month, Jamie took to social media to thank his fans for their support.

The Hollywood star wrote on Instagram: 'Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed [prayer and heart emojis] (sic).'

In July 2023, Jamie issued an emotional three-minute video about his health after concern from fans.

'I went through something I never thought I would go through. I know a lot of people [were] waiting or wanting to hear an update, but to be honest with you, I didn't want you to see me like that man,' he admitted with tears in his eyes.

The actor, who returned to work last month to film a commercial in Las Vegas, continued: 'I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, [or] a television show.'

'I didn't want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through.'

The father-of-one added that he went through 'hell and back' to survive and has experienced some 'potholes' on his 'road to recovery.' 

Jamie also praised his sister and daughter for 'saving' his life and keeping the details around his hospitalization private. 

'To them, to God, to a lot of great medical people, I'm able to leave you this video,' Jamie added. 

'I cannot tell you how great it feels to have your family kick in in such a way, and y'all know 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.'

He proceeded to show how his 'eyes are working just fine' by moving them from side to side, before making it clear that he is 'not paralyzed.'

Speaking to fans directly, he said: 'I just want to say I love everybody and I love all the love that I got.'

The actor got choked up as he warned: '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.'

'Man, I know they talk about people crying on videos... but I'm not going to do a take two, it is what is is,' he mused. 'Like I said, I want you to remember me for the jokes that I crack and the movies that I make — some of them good, some of them ain't (I think I've got a good one out), and songs that I sing.'

'I'm here on earth because of some great people. I'm here on Earth because of God, man,' the performer concluded. 'I'm on way back.'

Jamie captioned the video: 'Thank u a billion to everybody… been a long road but all the prayers great people and God got me through.'

The comedian was supported through his recovery by girlfriend Alyce Huckstepp. 

They were first romantically linked last year when they were spotted dining with a group of friends at Nobu in Malibu.

Their romance reportedly got more serious when he suffered a stroke.

Alyce'was totally there for him when he got sick, and they got very close after that,' a source told In Touch in March 2024.

However, at the same time, the insider suggested their romance was fizzling out. 'She's still in the picture, and they see each other occasionally — but to the same degree they were.'

The source said that Jamie was focusing on his work following his health issues.

'He's grateful to be alive, but he's preoccupied with getting his career on track,' the insider said.

'It's odd to see him so sedate when he used to be such a womanizer. There's a part of Jamie that's sad about that, but he just can't do it anymore.'

A month later, a source told People that their relationship is still strong and steady despite split rumors.

'Jamie still sees Alyce even though he is really busy working,' the insider claimed.

'Alyce is a sweetie, a great girl,' the source continued before adding that she 'couldn't be nicer or more perfect for' Jamie.