Jamie Foxx Calls Reliving His Medical Scare in New Comedy Special 'Excruciating'

Jamie Foxx opened up to Gayle King about the “excruciating” process of turning his mysterious health scare into comedy on a clip from CBS Mornings posted to Instagram on Monday.

The video was recorded backstage on the final night of Foxx’s three-night stand-up residency in Atlanta for the taping of his new Netflix comedy special What Had Happened Was . The special marks the first time Foxx has detailed his medical ordeal to the public. And according to him, it involved a level of soul-bearing which the comedian and actor has no desire to repeat.

"It was an excruciating time to be able to open those wounds every single day for three nights," Foxx admitted. "It was excruciating because the worry is what gets you," he continued. "We’ve got a great show in the room, but we don’t know what they may laugh at or what they may not laugh at. Any comedian will tell you that's the thing, the worry is the thing.”

Aside from divulging deeply personal details, the set represented another disquieting departure for the veteran performer. The three nights Foxx spent recording the special were also the first three nights he had performed the material for a live audience.

“Usually, when you do a stand-up special, you go out for a year and a half and work every nook and cranny, then you tape it,” Foxx said. “You don’t just show up in Atlanta and turn the camera on.”

Foxx was admitted to an Atlanta hospital in 2023 due to a “medical complication,” his daughter Corinne said at the time. He was released one month later, but has kept any remarks about the incident to a minimum. In July 2023, Foxx said he “went to hell and back” during the ordeal. This July, Foxx was seen in a viral video explaining to fans that he had taken an Advil for a bad headache and suddenly “was gone for 20 days. I don't remember anything."

Speaking to King backstage at the taping of his special, Foxx told her that he’s waited to tell the entire story because “it’s a personal journey." He continued: "I am never going to go through this again. My next jokes will start out, ‘knock, knock.’ I’ll do an hour and a half of ‘knock, knock’ jokes," he cracked.

To his fans, Foxx said of the upcoming special, "Let’s sit back, watch it, and build toward a newer, brighter and healthier future.”

Netflix has yet to announce a release date for What Had Happened Was .