In a heartfelt acceptance speech at the BET Awards, Jamie Foxx looked back on nearly losing his life following his 2023 stroke. Foxx gave the moving speech while receiving the Ultimate Icon Award in front of his two daughters, Corinne and Anelise, who both broke down in tears as their father remembered the life-altering moment. “When I saw that ‘In Memoriam,’ I was like, man, it could have been me. I don’t know why I went through what I went through. But I know my second chance, I’m not gonna turn [it] down. I have so much love to give.” Foxx went on, “I told Him, I said, *man, bro. Just give me one more crack at this. *And I promised, I said, for whatever reason you put this on me, I promise I’m gonna do right.”
Foxx experienced a brain bleed in April 2023, which eventually resulted in a stroke. During a Variety interview on the Golden Globes red carpet in January, the actor and singer disclosed he had under a 5 percent chance of making it through his medical crisis. Later in his speech, Foxx highlighted how significant the BET Awards are, stating, “I say this all the time: thank you to Black people and the Black award, because this is what really counts. I’m serious. This is what really counts. A lot of people think the Oscars is the biggest thing, and we got to quit thinking like that…The Icon Award is the most important award because it comes from us.” The Ultimate Icon Award debuted in 2015. Past honorees include Janet Jackson, Debra L. Lee, Tyler Perry, Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg and Kirk Franklin.
