Actor Jamie Foxx has disclosed that he suffered a stroke caused by a brain hemorrhage in April 2023, ending months of speculation about the medical emergency that temporarily halted his career. The revelation comes in his new Netflix special, “Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…“
The Oscar winner detailed how the health crisis began in Atlanta on April 11, 2023, when he experienced a severe headache. Despite initially receiving outpatient treatment, Foxx’s sister recognized the gravity of his condition and rushed him to Piedmont Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a brain bleed requiring immediate surgery.
Foxx, 56, described regaining consciousness on May 4 with no memory of the preceding 20 days. The actor faced significant challenges, including impaired mobility requiring a wheelchair, speech difficulties, and tremors. He was subsequently transferred to Chicago for rehabilitation.
According to medical experts, hemorrhagic strokes like Foxx’s account for approximately 13% of the 795,000 annual strokes in the United States, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While stroke traditionally affects older adults, the CDC notes a troubling trend of decreasing average age for first-time occurrences.
The actor’s experience highlights particular health disparities affecting Black Americans, who face nearly twice the stroke risk compared to white Americans. The CDC attributes this disparity partly to higher rates of high blood pressure among Black men, often developing at younger ages.
Foxx’s successful recovery places him among the roughly 10% of stroke victims who achieve near-complete rehabilitation, according to Northwestern Medicine. This outcome contrasts sharply with broader statistics showing that about one-third of stroke survivors experience permanent disability.
The source of Foxx’s brain hemorrhage remains unidentified, according to his medical team. Despite the severity of his condition, the actor has resumed his entertainment career, marking a remarkable recovery from what his doctors predicted would be “the worst year of his life.”
