Jamie Foxx said he «went to hell and back» but was «coming back,» in his first statement since he was hospitalized with an unspecified medical emergency in April.
“I went through something that I thought would never happen and I know a lot of people were waiting or wanting to hear updates, but to be honest with you, I just didn’t want you to see me as that man,” the “Django Unchained” star said in an emotional three-minute video posted to his Instagram account on Friday.
«I want them to see me laugh, have fun, have fun, make a joke, make a movie, make a TV show,» he added. «I didn’t want you to see me with the tubes coming out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it.»
Though he did not say exactly why he was hospitalized, Foxx, 55, said: «I’ve been to hell and back,» adding that his «road to recovery has been bumpy as well, but I’m going back and I can work.»
Thanking «everyone who prayed and sent me messages,» he also expressed his gratitude to the «great doctors» who treated him. «I can’t even begin to tell you how far he took me and how he brought me back,» he said.
He also credited his sister Deidra Dixon and daughter Corinne Foxx, saying they had «saved his life.» He added that “they kept it hermetic, they didn’t let anything out, they protected me. And that’s what I hope everyone can have in times like these.»
Corinne shared the news that the actor was on the mend back in May, nearly a month after he was hospitalized while filming in Atlanta. At the time he was working on «Back in Action» alongside Glenn Close and Cameron Diaz.
Foxx has been out of the public eye for months, missing the premiere of his latest film, They Cloned Tyrone. in June.
«If you see me outside from now on, and every once in a while I start crying, it’s because it’s been hard, man, I was sick, but now my legs are under me, so you’ll see me out,» he said.
The post sparked a reaction from some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Kevin Hart, who responded to the video writing: “This video warmed my soul… Foxx they need you man. We love you and we are forever with you.»
Actor Tracee Ellis Ross also commented, writing: «Sending you lots of love!!!»
Foxx shot onto Hollywood’s A-list for his portrayal of legendary singer Ray Charles in the biopic «Ray.» The role earned Foxx the Academy Award for best actor in 2005. He also starred in «Ali,» «Dreamgirls» and «Miami Vice.»