Jamie Foxx reflects on ‘second chance’ after stroke nearly claimed his life
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jamie Foxx is opening up about the stroke that nearly killed him in 2023, reflecting on his difficult recovery, the role comedy played in helping him through it and the nurses who helped keep him alive.
The actor also discussed becoming a father again at 58 and how a conversation with Al Pacino helped ease his concerns. Foxx is currently expecting his third child, his first with girlfriend Alyce Huckstepp.
Jamie Foxx details his challenging recovery after a stroke nearly claimed his life
Speaking this week on 'Baby, This Is Keke Palmer,' Foxx recalled questioning why the health scare happened to him. “I was talking to him,” he said, pointing upward, adding, “This is me, bro. I put the smiles on people’s faces. Look at all these bad people out here. Why me?”
Foxx said he understood that those people belonged to someone else and that this was his time. Reflecting on the rehabilitation process, he described it as frustrating. “Cause I remember they said, ‘You got a second chance. What was wrong with my first chance?’”
He then explained that comedy became his way of coping during recovery. “They couldn’t do wellness checks on me,” he said, “because I only had comedy to lean on. So I was joking all the time.” When his medical team attempted to measure his progress, he would often break into an impression of someone else.
His daughter Corinne Foxx, who also appeared on the podcast, reminded him that he impersonated Denzel Washington when he was admitted. She explained that he was making a joke rather than not knowing who Washington was.
After Foxx performed the impression again, Corinne noted that the medical team did not know whether he was okay. He explained that the humor was the only way he could “find myself.” He also recalled returning to meet the 60 nurses who kept him alive.
One nurse at the Atlanta hospital told him that fewer than 3% of people who arrive with what he had “walk out here,” adding that they usually “put them in a box.” She called Foxx a “miracle,” a description that, he said, made him want to “go get it.”
Jamie Foxx discusses fatherhood and relationship with Alyce Huckstepp
Foxx is currently expecting his third baby, his first with 31-year-old girlfriend Alyce Huckstepp. During an E! News joint interview with Corinne to promote 'Beat Shazam,' he admitted he had been “a little on the fence” about becoming an older father.
A conversation with Pacino, who welcomed son Roman two years ago, helped change his mind. Foxx joked with Pacino about being back in the school drop-off line and concluded, “Aw man, shoot I’m good.”
PEOPLE confirmed in May that the couple were expecting a baby, with TMZ first reporting the news. He is already the father of daughters Anelise and Corinne, whom he shares with exes Kristin Grannis and Connie Kline, respectively.
In July, he was photographed leaving Crustacean in Beverly Hills with Huckstepp, who was showing her baby bump. The pair waited for their car at the valet, with Huckstepp carrying a small clutch and a larger bag.
PEOPLE first confirmed Foxx and Huckstepp were a couple in August 2023 after they were spotted dining with a group in Malibu. According to multiple sources, they split in January 2025 during a busy period for Foxx, which included the release of 'Back in Action' with Cameron Diaz and his Netflix special, 'Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was'.
