Jamie Foxx is addressing conspiracy theories that Sean “Diddy” Combs played a role in his 2023 hospitalization.
In a roundtable discussion with several other comedy stars for The Hollywood Reporter, Foxx spoke about recovering after his nearly fatal stroke. He recalled that while he was in the hospital, he was “heavily sedated” and on multiple painkillers, and in his altered state he got on his phone to see what people were saying about his then-mysterious condition.
“So, they ‘Men in Black’-ed me, and I’m f—ed up, and this isn’t funny, but I snuck in my phone because I didn’t know what the outside world was saying, and I couldn’t get my mind around the fact that I had a stroke,” Foxx said. “I’m in f—ing perfect shape. [I see things like,] ‘Puffy tried to kill me.’ No, Puffy didn’t try to kill me.”
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At the time, an unfounded rumor was that Combs had attempted to silence Foxx from sharing any details he might have about the alleged crimes he would go on to be charged with – in September 2024, Combs was arrested on racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking charges. He’s currently on trial.
Foxx and Combs had been friends ahead of Combs’ legal troubles. Foxx also joked about rumors that he’d tried to hurt him in his December comedy special. There, he said, “The Internet said Puffy was trying to kill me, that’s what the Internet was saying. I know what you thinking, ‘Diddy?’ Hell no, I left them parties early. I was out by 9, something don’t look right. It’s slippery in here.”
While Foxx told The Hollywood Reporter that the rumors about Combs weren’t true, he did share another rumor that had upset him while he was in the hospital.
“When they said I was a clone, that made me flip. I’m sitting in the hospital bed, like, ‘These b—–a– motherf—ers are trying to clone me,’” he said. “And then I saw me walk into my room, but I’m white, so I see the white me. The next morning, I said, ‘I know what’s up, you’re trying to clone me and make me white so I’ll sell better overseas.’ The psychiatrist says, ‘Are you all right?’ And I say, ‘Am I all right or am I all white? I saw you trying to get the white motherf—ing Jamie Foxx and it ain’t going to happen.’ He just calmly goes, ‘I think we’re going to lower your dosage.’”
JAMIE FOXX ADDRESSES RUMORS THAT DIDDY ‘WAS TRYING TO KILL’ HIM
In another part of the conversation, Foxx revealed that a stand-up joke about Oprah Winfrey was one of her best friend Gayle King’s favorite things.
The “Django Unchained” star explained “I did an Oprah joke” when asked by the outlet about a “combative or hilarious post-joke encounter.”
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“That didn’t go well?” fellow comedian Chelsea Handler asked.
“No, it went great,” Foxx replied.
He said after he won the Oscar for portraying Ray Charles in “Ray,” there was a rumor he was dating the media mogul.
“When we did ‘Ray,’ my management, they’re from Oakland, but those mother—–s started talking in English accents, like, ’Well, we’ve won the Oscar now …'” the 57-year-old joked.
He continued, “But I wanted to go back to doing stand-up, and there was this rumor that me and Oprah were dating, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s a perfect joke.’”
Foxx said a woman who worked on his management team told him: “Don’t do a joke.’ I said, ‘I have to.’”
The comedian said he went in front of the crowd at Madison Square Garden and told them: “Since I won the Oscar, everybody’s saying I’m dating everybody.”
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“So, I’m laying in bed with Oprah,” he deadpanned, pantomiming the crowd hissing. “And I lean over to Gayle and say, ‘Ain’t this s— crazy? Stedman, get us some juice!’”
“And Gayle is in the audience!” he revealed to the outlet.
Comedian Sarah Silverman wondered, “She didn’t like it?”
“She loved it,” he replied. “‘That was so funny, Jamie,’” Foxx imitated the “CBS Mornings” co-host telling him.
