Nationwide — Jamie Foxx broke down in tears while accepting the Ultimate Icon Honor at the 2025 BET Awards, opening up about his near-fatal stroke in 2023, his long recovery, and the support of his daughters that helped him survive.
The 57-year-old actor took the stage and talked about the darkest time he faced after suffering a brain bleed that caused his stroke. He quickly grew emotional, saying he once took life for granted but now sees it differently.
“I gotta be honest — when I saw the ‘in memoriam,’ I was like, man, that could have been me,” he shared through tears, according to the New York Post. “But I don’t know why I went through what I went through, but I know my second chance —I’m not going to turn down.”
Foxx told the audience he prayed to God for one more shot at life while he was in the hospital. “I said whatever reason you put this on me, I promise I’mma do right,” he said. He added that surviving the stroke made him more grateful and aware of his roots.
He gave heartfelt thanks to his daughters, Corinne, 31, and Anelise, 16. He said Corinne quietly took the lead during his health crisis. “You made sure I was here,” he told her.
Foxx also recalled a key moment with Anelise. At one point, his vitals were failing and doctors feared the worst. But Anelise came into his hospital room with her guitar and played music for him.
“And as she played the guitar, my vitals (improved),” he recalled. “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.’”
Foxx was hospitalized in April 2023. In his 2024 Netflix special What Had Happened Was, he shared that he lost 20 days of memory and called it the worst year of his life.
Since then, he has returned to acting and even earned a Golden Globe nomination for his comedy comeback.