Jamie Foxx made his first official public appearance at an awards event since suffering a mysterious health scare earlier this year.
The actor had been mostly out of the spotlight for months, making just a few sporadic appearances in public.
Those were brief sightings, including when Foxx helped out a woman in Chicago by returning her purse before getting into the back of a car and riding away.
He’d also been on social media, sharing a video update about his health to assure fans he was doing much better.
Last night, he appeared at the Critics Choice Association Awards Celebration of Cinema & Television Honoring Black, Latino & AAPI Achievements to accept an award.
While on stage, Foxx also spoke about his health situation and how he wouldn’t wish what he endured on his worst enemy.
Jamie Foxx reveals he ‘couldn’t actually walk’ during emotional speech
On Monday night, Foxx accepted the Vanguard award from his The Burial co-star, Jurnee Smollett.
A standing ovation met him as he took the stage and opened up about his health scare in a 12-minute speech.
“You know, it’s crazy, I couldn’t do that six months ago — I couldn’t actually walk,” he told the audience at the awards event.
“I’m not a clone, I’m not a clone. I know a lot of people who were saying I was cloned out there,” he joked, adding, “I want to thank everybody. I’ve been through something, I’ve been through some things.”
As he fought back tears, Foxx said he cherishes every minute after recovering from that health situation.
“I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy because it’s tough when it’s almost over … when you see the tunnel. I saw the tunnel — I didn’t see the light,” he said.
Foxx also said he gained a “new respect” for his life and his art.
“I watched so many movies and listened to so many songs trying to have the time go by. Don’t give up on your art, man, don’t give up,” he told those at the event.
Foxx’s health situation remains unknown
While there has been speculation regarding Foxx’s medical situation, the actor and his family have kept things quiet.
As Monsters and Critics reported, Foxx became ill while filming his upcoming Netflix movie, Back in Action, which was filming in Atlanta, Georgia.
The actor was hospitalized and remained out of the public eye for a considerable time, leading to concern from friends and fans. His daughter Corinne Foxx said her dad had suffered a “medical complication.”
Foxx was eventually released from the hospital but then began getting additional treatment and rehabilitation at a specialized facility in Chicago, Illinois.
He’d been mostly silent on social media during his recovery but shared a brief message on Instagram thanking everyone for their prayers and well wishes.
In August, Foxx shared an Instagram carousel post update (below) in which he mentioned his “unexpected dark journey” in the caption.
Once he was doing considerably better, he took to Instagram to share a video update about his situation while still not revealing the undisclosed medical situation.
During that update, Foxx said he “went to hell and back” and “went through something” he’d never expected to go through.
“I gotta be honest with you. I just didn’t want you to see me like that man,” Foxx said regarding why he stayed away from social media.
“I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out…if I was gonna make it through,” he said.
Foxx has since been much more active on his social media. That included sharing a video clip from late November (below) as he had fun on the court with the Dallas Mavericks during some pre-game shooting at the NBA game.
Foxx has also shared updates about his various projects, including TV shows and films.
The Oscar-winner has appeared in several movies this year, including Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone, the live-action dog comedy Strays, and most recently, the well-received Amazon film The Burial.