Jamie Foxx breaks silence on debilitating mystery illness that left him 'gone for 20 days'

Jamie Foxx has opened up about his 2023 illness (Picture: AFP)

Actor Jamie Foxx has opened up about the mystery illness which saw him hospitalised and in a state of near-death – losing his memory of the incident over a period of what he says was ‘about 20 days.’

The Hollywood star, 56, was hospitalised in April last year, suffering from an unspecified medical emergency.

At the time, he had been filming the spy comedy Back In Action with 90s movie icon Cameron Diaz.

As the illness struck, he was suddenly left battling for his life, unable to walk and suddenly suffering from a debilitating headache.

Videoed by fans during an appearance in downtown Phoenix this week, the Collateral star spoke candidly of what had happened.

‘I asked my boy for an Advil,’ he said, before clicking his fingers. ‘I was gone for 20 days. I don’t remember anything.’

‘So they told me, I’m in Atlanta, they told me, my sister and my daughter, they took me to the first doctor. Next doctor said, “Something going on up there”,’ he continued, pointing at his head.

‘I won’t say it on camera,’ he finished.

The actor is now recovering from this period of illness, although he has remained elusive about the specific details until now.

Jamie spoke to fans about what he’d been through (Picture: drbrendacombs/TMX/MEGA)

‘Something going on up there,’ said Jamie, of his illness (Picture: @drbrendacombs /TMX/MEGA)

Following his illness, Jamie took to Instagram to explain to fans what he had been through, noting that he had been ‘to hell and back’ during this time.

‘I cannot even begin to tell you how far it took me and how it brought me back,’ he told the fans who had sent him messages of support.

‘I went through something I thought I would never ever go through. I know a lot of people were wanting to hear updates but… I didn’t want you to see me like that.

‘I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, television show.

‘I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through.’

Jamie is on the mend now (Picture: Shutterstock)

In December last year, Jamie took to the stage at an award ceremony, where he grew tearful while sharing how perilous the situation had been.

During his speech, he revealed how he ‘couldn’t actually walk’ following his illness, and was at death’s door, saying: ‘I saw the tunnel but I didn’t see the light.’

He also took the time to poke fun at recent conspiracy theories, joking that he hadn’t been replaced by a clone and saying how it was ‘hot in the tunnel.’

Jamie appears in Back In Action later this year (Picture: Getty)

As for the movie Jamie had been filming when he was taken ill, that’s on its way too – with a release set for November 15 this year.

The actor stars next to The Mask actress Cameron Diaz, 51, in the upcoming blockbuster, which sees two former spies drawn out of retirement after settling down as a married suburban couple.

Speaking about his part in the movie, Jamie said: ‘A lot of people don’t know this, but after Cameron and I did Any Given Sunday and Annie together, we became friends in real life – and I’ve been begging for her to come play with me again.

‘We all know that there’s something about her…’

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