Jamie Foxx Reveals He ‘Couldn’t Walk’ as He Battled Medical Complication: ‘I Have a New Respect for Life’

Jamie Foxx made his first public appearance since his health scare and opened up about how grateful he is to be alive.

Jamie Foxx was filled with gratitude at a Critics Choice event on December 4 which marked his first public appearance since suffering a medical complication earlier this year. The Oscar winner, 55, received the Vanguard Award for his performance in his new film, The Burial, and earned loud cheers from the audience when he got on stage to deliver his speech.

“I’ve been through something. I’ve been through some things,” Jamie said. “You know, it’s crazy, I couldn’t do that six months ago — I couldn’t actually walk,” the actor added, before pausing as he got emotional speaking about his health scare.

“I’m not a clone, I’m not a clone,” Jamie also said, referencing the wild conspiracy theories about his health, which made the crowd laugh. “I know a lot of people who were saying I was cloned out there.”

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Jamie Foxx makes a surprise emotional appearance at the Critics Choice Celebration of Cinema & Television. @iamjamiefoxx #jamiefoxx #criticschoice #cccelebration pic.twitter.com/MzzqruWqRf

— Critics Choice Awards (@CriticsChoice) December 5, 2023

Jamie continued to explain how grateful he is that he’s recovered and back to work. “It feels good to be here. I cherish every single minute now,” he said. “It’s different. I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy because it’s tough, when it’s almost over. When you see the tunnel. I saw the tunnel. I didn’t see the light.”

“I have a new respect for life, I have a new respect for my art,” Jamie added. “I watched so many movies and listened to so many songs trying to have the time go by. Don’t give up on your art, man, don’t give up on your art. When you realize that it could be over like that… I got to tell you don’t give up on your art and don’t let them take the art from you either.”

The Ray star also gave a shoutout to his sister, Deidra Dixon, and his daughter, Corinne Foxx, for being “so great at not letting anybody know anything that happened.” Jamie concluded his emotional speech by saying, “I want to say six months ago I couldn’t fathom that this could happen or that I would be here, but as I walk up here to this microphone and get this Vanguard Award, all I can say is ‘Lord, have mercy, Jesus.’ ”

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Jamie was hospitalized on April 11 while he was in Atlanta filming the movie Back in Action. After there was rampant speculation about Jamie’s health, the actor broke his silence in July to squash the rumors that he was “blind” and “paralyzed.” He also revealed he wasn’t sure if he wasn’t sure if he would “make it through” the mystery illness.

“I went through something that I thought I would never, ever go through,” Jamie said in the Instagram clip from July 22. “My road to recovery also had some potholes, but I’m coming back and I’m able to work. I wanna thank the people that let me work and say I love everybody and I love all the love that I got,” he added in the video.