Jamie Foxx Celebrates Backstage After First Stand-Up Show Since Medical Emergency: ‘My Next Jokes Are Going to Be “Knock, Knock” Jokes’

Jamie Foxx made his long-awaited return to the standup comedy stage in Atlanta over the weekend, where he opened up about his 2023 medical emergency in a humorous, but emotional one-man show.

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“CBS Mornings” host Gayle King was backstage at the special, which was filmed for Netflix, and captured Foxx’s immediate reflections in an impromptu “interview” posted on social media. In the clip, the Oscar and Grammy winner is surrounded by a cheerful entourage who applaud his achievement. “You landed on the moon, man. Be so proud,” Foxx told the group as he opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

“I wanna know how you feel after three nights?” King then asked. “It was an excruciating time, opening those wounds every single day,” Foxx replied.

The subject matter is, of course, emotional — as Foxx shared, for the first time in depth, the story of the mysterious ailment that left him hospitalized in April 2023. But the circumstances around the show, titled “What Had Happened Was,” were also unusual because he didn’t workshop the material in the typical way.

“It was excruciating because — the worry is what gets you. Yeah, we’ve got a great show in the room, but we don’t know what they may laugh or what they may not laugh at,” Foxx said. “Usually, when you do a stand-up special, you go out for a year and work every nook and cranny, then you tape it. You don’t just show up in Atlanta and turn the camera on.”

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Foxx announced the show in an Instagram post last month, revealing few details about the three-night engagement, but promising an evening “filled with humor, heart, and inspiration.”

In the video, King shared her review of the performance, saying that she’s never seen a show where the audience is laughing and crying at the same time. “Only you could’ve done that,” she told him.

“It’s a personal journey, and I hope I never have to … I am never going to go through this again. My next jokes will start out, ‘Knock, knock!’” Foxx replied as the room burst into laughter. “I’ll do an hour and a half of ‘Knock, knock’ jokes.” The clip ends with Foxx raising a toast to his loved ones, saying, “Let’s sit back, watch it, and build toward a newer, brighter and healthier future.”

Details about the streaming release for the special are still to be announced.

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