Jamie Foxx Says Nurse Told Him He Had 5 Percent Chance of Surviving Medical Emergency [Video]

Jamie Foxx opened up about the near-fatal health scare that almost claimed his life in 2023 during a red carpet interview at the Golden Globes on Sunday.

Speaking with Variety’s Marc Malkin, the actor and comedian shared how dire the situation was, revealing a nurse once told him he had less than a 5% chance of survival.

“When you dream about what you wanna be, you don’t dream tragedy,” Foxx said. “You dream the greatest life in the world, but when tragedy happens, you need somebody there that really loves you. My daughter Anelise and my daughter Corinne stepped up.”

Foxx recounted the moment a nurse in Atlanta told him, “Jamie, you’re a five-percenter.” When he asked what that meant, she explained, “Less than 5% of people that have what you have walk out of here. But when I saw that it was you, I rolled my sleeves up.” The nurse then clarified, “You’re not special. I roll my sleeves up for everybody that comes in here.”

Foxx has previously discussed his health scare, including in his recent Netflix stand-up special What Had Happened Was, where he revealed that a brain bleed led to a stroke. He said the ordeal began with a “bad headache” and ended with him waking up 20 days later, unaware of what had happened.

“I saw the tunnel. I didn’t see the light,” Foxx joked in the special, adding humor to his reflections. “I thought I saw the devil like, ‘Come on, n***a.’ Or is that Puffy? I’m just kidding.”