Actor Jamie Foxx has publicly dismissed a conspiracy theory circulating online that implicated Sean “Diddy” Combs in the serious medical emergency he experienced in 2023, which he described as bringing him “within an inch of his life.”
Speaking at a Hollywood Reporter roundtable on Thursday, the “Ray” star recounted being hospitalized and, despite being heavily sedated on pain medication, managing to access his phone and discover the rumors surrounding his health crisis.
“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. I’m in f–king perfect shape. [I see things like,] ‘Puffy tried to kill me,’” Foxx, 57, recalled.
However, it was another bizarre theory that truly caught his attention: the claim that he had been cloned. “When they said I was a clone, that made me flip. I’m sitting in the hospital bed, like, ‘These bitch-ass motherf–kers are trying to clone me,’” the comedian joked.
Even in the midst of a serious health scare and while under the influence of strong medication, the Oscar-winning actor maintained his characteristic humor. He recounted a conversation with a psychiatrist, quipping, “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–king Jamie Foxx and it ain’t going to happen.’ He just calmly goes, ‘I think we’re going to lower your dosage.’”
While Foxx has unequivocally denied any involvement of Combs in his medical emergency, this is not the first time he has addressed the outlandish rumors publicly. He previously touched upon the conspiracy theory in his 2024 Netflix stand-up special, “What Had Happened Was.”
“The internet said Puffy was trying to kill me, that’s what the internet was saying. I know what you thinking, ‘Diddy?’” Foxx joked on stage. “Hell no, I left them parties early.”
The beloved comedian told his audience that he consistently left Combs’ parties early, usually “out by 9,” sharing that “something [didn’t] look right” as the evenings progressed. Foxx humorously added, “It’s slippery in here.”
Combs, who was arrested in September 2024 and is currently on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering, has faced allegations of hosting wild sex performances, dubbed “Freak-Offs,” at his parties over the years. He faces a potential life sentence if convicted.
In his comedy special, Foxx revealed that a brain bleed was the cause of the stroke that led to his hospitalization in April 2023. He detailed the “medical complication” that nearly claimed his life and resulted in a 20-day memory loss after experiencing a “bad headache.” He awoke in a wheelchair in the hospital, where doctors informed him he was “within an inch of his life” upon arrival.
Foxx credited his sister Deidra Dixon with ensuring he received timely medical attention, as well as his daughter Anelise for her role in “saving his life” by keeping him calm as a “spiritual defibrillator.”
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