If you’re a fan of Jamie Foxx you’ve likely seen your fair share of articles, think-pieces and social media posts surrounding his 2023 health scare that left him fighting for his life in the ICU for nearly three weeks. The medical emergency, which began while Foxx was in the middle of shooting Back in Action in Atlanta, dominated the pop culture news cycle for much of the year, as the comedian’s close friends and family members refused to comment on his condition to the press. Thankfully, Foxx lived to tell the tale of the ordeal, bringing some much-needed relief to those who grew up watching him shine on In Living Color and The Jamie Foxx Show. When he felt ready, Foxx finally confirmed the cause of the scare in a stand-up special for Netflix earlier this month, titled What Had Happened Was.
Before that project was released, many fans had developed conspiracy theories surrounding his condition, some of which involved Foxx’s former friend and long-time collaborator Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. For one reason or another, droves of fans had become convinced that Diddy poisoned Jamie Foxx, resulting in the shocking medical incident. This conspiracy theory gained so much traction that Jamie Foxx himself acknowledged it more than once during the new Netflix special, before finally confirming the truth about his medical condition. Since the alleged poisoning has become such a topic of discussion, let’s look into the true story of Jamie Foxx’s health scare, his relationship with Diddy and his current medical standing.
Fact Check: Did Diddy Poison Jamie Foxx?
As mentioned, Jamie Foxx name-checks Diddy more than once throughout his new stand-up show, mostly about random social media posts which he saw after recovering in the hospital. As the theory goes, Diddy poisoned Foxx as a means to prevent him from exposing the truth about his so-called “freak-off” parties, which have now become a national news story thanks to Diddy’s September arrest on federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. The “Gold Digger” artist has ties to Diddy dating back to the 1990s when he was first trying to launch his music career. So, is it true that Diddy nearly murdered the brilliant actor who brought beloved icons like Django Freeman and Ray Charles to life on the big screen? Though it may sound like a compelling theory, we can definitively say that this is not the case.
Don’t just take our word for it either, check out What Had Happened Was to hear the whole story from Jamie Foxx himself. As he explains in the special, this Diddy connection is nothing more than an internet conspiracy theory cooked up by random fans. As Foxx tells it, “The internet was trying to kill me. The internet was saying that Puffy was trying to kill me. I know what you’re thinking… Did he? Hell, no, I left them parties early. I was out by 9… something don’t look right.” Though Foxx wholly disavows the story about being poisoned, his decision to continue joking about Diddy caused some fans to run even further with the conspiracy. The story even wound up being reported in Page Six, with one fan explicitly saying “Diddy was responsible for what happened to him, and [Foxx] is the one who called the FBI on [Combs].”
What Had Really Happened Was…
So, if Diddy didn’t poison Jamie Foxx, what was the real cause of his harrowing medical ordeal? As Foxx tells it, it all began with an excruciating headache he suffered on set, which caused him to collapse. From there, Foxx spent 20 days in a coma, with doctors struggling to keep him alive. The cause of this emergency was a brain bleed that turned into a stroke, leaving the father of two with a slim chance of survival. By the grace of God and the assistance of top medical staff, Jamie Foxx was able to overcome the medical complication and escape unscathed, as evidenced by his lively performance in the new stand-up comedy outing. So, it would seem that not only was Foxx not poisoned by Diddy, he actually wasn’t poisoned at all.
According to Healthline, strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in men between ages 15 and 59. Roughly 15 percent of men in their 50s will experience a mild to severe stroke, accounting for a significant portion of the population. Foxx just celebrated his 57th birthday on Dec. 13, meaning he fits the profile for these risk factors. While his health scare ultimately turned out to be much less salacious than fans imagined, that didn’t stop the entertainer from taking a few pot-shots at his former friend, with quips like, “I saw the tunnel, I didn’t see the light. It was hot in that tunnel. I thought, s***, have I gone to the wrong place? I looked at the end of the tunnel and I thought I saw the devil saying come on… or was that Puffy? …He had a flaming bottle of Johnson and… No, I’m just kidding.”
Jamie Foxx’s Medical Scares and Controversies Aren’t Over Yet
Speaking of Jamie Foxx’s birthday, the comedian recently suffered another medical emergency which, ironically, is much more suited to Diddy’s M.O. According to a report in CNN, Foxx became involved in an altercation during his birthday dinner in the upscale Beverly Hills restaurant Mr. Chow after guests at another table became lewd and rowdy. The icon, who was in attendance with his two daughters, confronted the other guests and things continued to escalate. Per a spokesperson for the actor, “Someone from another table threw a glass that hit [Foxx] in the mouth. He had to get stitches and is recovering.” No arrests were made in connection with the incident, though many social media users were quick to double back with jokes about Diddy.
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