Jamie Foxx couldn't hold back his tears as he discussed the stroke he suffered in 2023 on stage at the BET Awards in Los Angeles on Monday night. While accepting one of the Ultimate Icon Awards, Foxx admitted that the in memoriam section of the ceremony caused him to reflect on how close he came to death during the health scare.
"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," Foxx said, as noted by USA Today.
Jamie Foxx BET Awards Speech
Later in the speech, he brought up his eldest daughter, Corinne, who was sharing health updates with the public early on. "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 then turned his attention to his younger daughter. "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," he said.
He further recalled an emotional moment they shared in the hospital. "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,'" Foxx continued. "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.'"
After Foxx's speech, several musical icons, including Babyface, T‑Pain, Ludacris, and more, performed a medley in his honor.
