Actor Jamie Foxx got a second chance at life after overcoming a health scare in 2023. During a tear-jerking BET speech, the comedian and actor attributed his recovery to his daughters Corinne Foxx, 31, and Anelise Bishop, 16. The They Cloned Tyrone actor was honored with one of the Ultimate Icon Awards.
“When I saw that in memoriam, I was like, ‘Man, that could’ve been me.’ But I don’t know why I went through what I went through, but I know that my second chance, I’m not going to turn it down,” said Foxx.
The 57-year-old experienced a brain bleed that led to a stroke back in 2023 while filming Netflix’s Back in Action. He documented his health experience in his stand-up special on Netflix titled What Had Happened Was…., which aired in 2024.
During the speech, Foxx’s daughters sat in the audience in tears as they listened to their dad render his speech, centered on their love and support during his near-death experience.
“My beautiful daughter, Corinne, I cannot say enough about you,” Foxx said. “You’ve always taken a backseat to everything. But when you needed to drive it, you drove. And you made sure I was here. And at a certain point, I’m going to stop crying, but I’m not going to stop yet.”
Foxx didn’t leave his daughter, Anelise, out of his speech; he recounted how she used her guitar to help him recover during one of his darkest moments.
“Anelise Estelle Foxx, my baby with the big hair. She hides under that hair because she’s got something special. You’re so beautiful, man,” Foxx said.
“When I was fighting for my life in there, I’ve got to say this. They said, ‘We’re going to lose him because his vitals are bad.’ And I didn’t want my 14 year old to see me like that. But Anelise overheard the conversation and she snuck into my hospital room with her guitar and said, ‘I know what my Daddy needs,'” he continued.
The singer added, “And as she played the guitar, my vitals improved. And I realized God was in her guitar. The nurses ran in and said, ‘What did they give him?’ My daughter said, ‘Shh, I’ve got him.'”
The actor added, ‘God is good,’ causing the audience to break into both cheers and tears.
He ended the moving speech with a promise for his girls: “Whatever reason you put this on me, I promise I’m gonna do right. And I’m gonna do right in front of y’all.”