Jamie Foxx Jokingly Pretended to Be Denzel Washington for 3 Days After Near-Fatal Stroke: 'People Thought I Was Mad'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jamie Foxx in Berlin on Jan. 15, 2025; Denzel Washington in London on Nov. 13, 2024.Photo:Tristar Media/WireImage; Neil Mockford/WireImage

Tristar Media/WireImage; Neil Mockford/WireImage

Jamie Foxxis recalling how his reliance on humor while recovering from a medical emergency left people baffled.

The actor was filmingBack in ActionalongsideCameron Diazwhen he suffered abrain bleed that led to a strokein April 2023. On hisNetflix specialthat premiered last month, he confessed he lost days of memories due to the medical incident.

“I was very unwell, but now I am back feeling good,” Foxx, 57, said in a new appearance onThe Graham Norton Show. “It makes you realize that you need people that care and love you around to get you through it.”

While filming the BBC show that airs on Friday, Jan. 17, Foxx admitted he thought he was “being pranked” when told 20 days had passed that he couldn’t remember, and that it felt “beyond crazy.”

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Jamie Foxx onThe Graham Norton ShowJan. 17, 2025.PA Images/INSTARimages

PA Images/INSTARimages

The admission comes six and a half years after Foxx did a funny impersonation of theEqualizeractor while interviewing him forGrey Goose’sOFF SCRIPTYouTube series.

Washington, 70, was left in hysterics as Foxx mocked how he said, “Get your f—ing hands off me” in multiple movies, calling the line Washington’s “calling card.”

Foxx then recreated his fellowAcademy Awardwinner’s facial expressions, before continuing the comedic conversation.

Having been flown to a rehabilitation facility in Chicago after his near-fatal stroke, Foxx spent weeks learning how to walk again. In August 2023, he shared an update onInstagramrevealing that he was finally starting to feel like himself again.

The actor waited until January 2024 toresume filmingBack in Actionwith Diaz, and revealed onThe Graham Norton ShowFriday that when it came to making the action-comedy, he was happy for someone to pretend to be him when doing his stunts to “make me look good.”

Diaz, 52, also credited Foxx with bringing herback to movies after a decade-long hiatus, and said she had “so much fun” doing her own stunts for the flick.

“I had 10 years of not paying attention to anything — not accepting any advances — and then I got this script and thought that maybe it was time,” she added.

Back in Actionis now streaming on Netflix.

The Graham Norton Showairs on BBC One Friday, Jan, 17. at 4:40 p.m. ET/10:40 p.m. GMT.

source: people.com