In his Netflix special “What Had Happened Was,” released on December 10, 2024, comedian, actor, and singer Jamie Foxx discusses his health scare from 2023.  The 56-year-old reveals that he suffered a brain bleed that led to a stroke, requiring doctors to perform surgery on his head to save his life. He candidly talks about his challenging recovery process, which involved therapy and assistance with daily tasks.

During the special, Foxx, who sometimes becomes emotional, highlights his teenage daughter, Anelise, who played a pivotal role in his recovery. He shares a touching story about how she secretly entered his room to play the guitar for him, explaining how her music helped improve his vital signs during a critical period in his health.

“My vitals were so bad they were going to lose me, and that’s when a miracle happened, and that miracle was working through my youngest daughter.” She’s fourteen. I didn’t want her to see me like that, but she snuck into my hospital room with her guitar, and she said, ‘I know what my daddy needs.’ Foxx gestured the movement of playing the guitar strings while recalling the moment his daughter said, ‘That’s my daddy.’ “What’s interesting,” Foxx said, “Is my daughter used to carry her guitar all the time with her, and they said when she was playing, my vitals went down, The nurses at the nurse’s station were baffled,” Like, wow, what did they give him, so they rush into the room, and Foxx  demonstrating on stage , put his finger over his mouth the way his daughter did (at that time), where she motioned to the nurses and said, ‘I got him!’ Foxx went on to say, “It was God in that guitar,” receiving a heartfelt applaud from the audience as he continued to speak “God was in the guitar.”

The Oscar winner became even more emotional when he brought Anelise on stage during the Netflix special. With her guitar in hand, she played her piece beautifully as the proud multi-hyphenate star encouraged his daughter. The two embraced each other before Anelise’s performance, which created a heartwarming moment for the audience to see. “Play, Anelise, said Jamie, “Let them see your talent shine, Anelise, shine.” Foxx’s daughter shared, ‘I mean, you had to make it because I always dreamed that we would perform together on stage one day,’ Foxx responded to his daughter. “So, we gone do something.”

Check out the special streaming now to watch more of Foxx and his daughter’s stage interaction and Foxx singing again!

We wish Foxx continued good health and a smooth recovery and are glad to see him back.

What Had Happened Was is currently streaming on Netflix.

Photo Credit: Parrish Lewis/ Netflix