Unsubstantiated rumors that Jamie Foxx is ‘paralyzed and blind’ sweep internet after Dr. Drew airs gossip columnist’s COVID vaccine claim

Unsubstantiated rumors that Jamie Foxx has been left “paralyzed and blind” have been sweeping the internet after Dr. Drew Pinsky aired a conversation with gossip columnist and podcaster A.J. Benza, in which he claimed the actor’s health scare was related to him getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

During the episode of the doctor’s podcast, Ask Dr. Drew, Benza claimed he had worked hard to get exclusive information about Foxx’s health condition, branding previous reports about the actor’s situation “baloney.”

He claimed that reports of Foxx “responding to people on Instagram” were untrue, saying, “People do that for you.” And regarding Foxx’s condition, Benza claimed he’d been told by “somebody in the room” that the actor suffered a blood clot after getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

However, Benza offered no proof to back up his claims, and, as of the time of writing, Foxx’s family and his representatives have not shared any official confirmation of the reason behind his undisclosed “medical complication.”

“I had somebody in the room who let me know that Jamie had a blood clot in his brain after he’d got the shot,” Benza said during the podcast.

“I don’t know, but what I found out from the man in the room was that the blood clot in the brain caused him at that point to be partially paralyzed and blind because if you read into what they were saying early on, ‘He’s communicating with us’ … that doesn’t mean talking. That could be anything,” Benza said.

Dr. Drew followed up Benza’s comments by saying it was “widely known” that Foxx suffered a stroke. However, no family members or representatives for Foxx have officially given this as the reason for his health issues.

As Monsters and Critics reported in May, boxing legend Mike Tyson accidentally said he’d “heard it was a stroke” when asked about Foxx’s situation. However, Tyson later said that whatever was going on, the family didn’t want everyone to know Foxx’s situation yet.

Tweet about Jamie Foxx rumors viewed more than 3 million times

In the wake of Benza’s claims, the rumors about Foxx have spread widely on social media. A few days after Dr. Drew’s interview, the claims were shared by popular conservative comedy duo the Hodge Twins in a tweet that has been viewed more than three million times.

According to fact-checking website Snopes, they contacted Benza on Twitter to ask if he had any new details to share regarding his claims about Foxx’s health situation.

“No, I have no additional information other than what my very reliable source gave me last week. What you should be doing is asking the Foxx family why Jamie isn’t holding up his iPhone and telling his fans he’s fine. I don’t make things up. I’ve been at this for over 30 years,” Benza replied, per Snopes.

Snopes said they also contacted “two publicists associated with Foxx” for comment about Benza’s claims. However, Snopes said it had not received any reply as of June 5.

Many rumors continue to swirl about Foxx’s condition

Foxx suffered his health scare several months ago while filming his Netflix movie, Back In Action, in Atlanta, Georgia. Little was known about the actor’s situation or condition at the time, and it has remained that way.

On May 3, a post was uploaded to his official Instagram account reading, “Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed.” followed by emojis of prayer hands, a heart, and a fox.

The lack of official information has continued to spark speculation, however, including actor Michael Jai White discussing what he heard about Foxx.

A previous unsubstantiated rumor also suggested Foxx’s inner circle was “hoping for the best” for his health but also “preparing for the worst.”

Since Foxx’s initial hospitalization, no photos or videos have surfaced of, or been shared by, the actor.

Reports in recent weeks have maintained that family and friends are regularly visiting him at a rehabilitation facility in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in stroke recovery, traumatic brain injury rehab, and spinal cord injury, among other health conditions.

Updates from Foxx’s daughter Corinne

Only two updates have been provided by the actor’s daughter, Corinne Foxx. They included the initial update indicating her father had suffered a medical complication and a more recent one in which she said her dad was out of the hospital and refuted reports her dad’s inner circle was “preparing for the worst.”

In the second update, Corinne said her dad had “been out of the hospital for weeks and recuperating,” adding that he had been “playing pickleball.” Corinne didn’t elaborate if “out of the hospital” also meant he’d been taken to the Chicago rehab facility, which TMZ reported in mid-May.

While there haven’t been any photos or videos of Foxx since the reported health scare in April, there have been photos of his daughter and other family friends visiting the actor’s rehab facility in Chicago, also shared by TMZ.