Jamie Foxx tearfully embraced his “second chance” at life while accepting the Ultimate Icon Honor at the 2025 BET Awards in Los Angeles. The 57-year-old reflected on his near-fatal stroke in 2023. Foxx’s emotional speech resonated with his fans as he thanked God for survival and opportunity.
Here’s what Jamie Foxx said during his speech.
Jamie Foxx gets emotional after accepting Ultimate Icon Award at BET Awards
Actor Jamie Foxx is looking forward to life’s “second chance” as he receives the honor of the Ultimate Icon at the 2025 BET Awards. The Oscar-winning actor got emotional while accepting the trophy from Stevie Wonder.
Foxx gushed, “I cannot even begin to express the love that I feel from everybody out there.” The Django Unchained star recalled the obstacles of the past few years, adding, “I gotta be honest — when I saw the ‘in memoriam,’ I was like man, that could have been me. But I don’t know why I went through what I went through, but I know my second chance I’m not going turn down. I’m not going to turn down.” (via People)
Contemplating his wish to get “one more crack” at life, the Ray star noted, “I said whatever reason you put this on me, I promise I’mma do right. I’mma do right in front of y’all, because I know a lot of times, when we get on we forget about where we come from.”
For the unversed, Foxx suffered a critical health emergency in 2023. The actor talked about his health scare in the Netflix special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was. The Collateral star shared, “I was fighting for my life” as he experienced bleeding in the brain and a stroke.
Foxx disclosed in the Netflix show, “It is a mystery. We still don’t know exactly what happened to me. All I can tell you is that I appreciate every prayer because I needed every prayer.” He further revealed that he woke up from a coma after the stroke, and was unable to walk.
The Grammy-winning artist shared that he had to go back to learn basic functions. During the early days of his recovery, Foxx had to depend on nurses for hygiene routines, including showering. His doctors had claimed that a full recovery was possible for him, but it would be challenging.
Originally reported by Arpita Adhya on ComingSoon.net.
