Netflix announced on Friday that Jamie Foxx‘s new comedy special What Had Happened Was, addressing his recent medical scare, will premiere globally on the platform on December 10.
Directed by Hamish Hamilton, What Had Happened Was will offer a deep dive into Foxx’s experience with his April 2023 medical emergency, while filming the Netflix action comedy Back in Action, that left him hospitalized and in recovery for several months. Although the exact cause was kept private, Foxx later shared that he faced “dire straits” and felt close to death during the ordeal, which began suddenly with intense symptoms.
Foxx revealed that he would address the situation in more depth earlier this year, while being honored by the African American Film Critics Association, but said he would do so “in a funny way.”
A post on Foxx’s Instagram page promoting the show, taped over three nights in Atlanta in October, read, “Join us for an unforgettable one-man show as Jamie Foxx takes the stage to share his journey through a serious health scare, filled with humor, heart, and inspiration! Experience Jamie Foxx like never before in this intimate and engaging performance, as he opens up about his struggles, triumphs, and everything in between. Get ready for a night of laughter, reflection, and genuine connection.”
Production on Back in Action took a pause while Foxx recovered from his medical emergency, with the entertainer also temporarily stepping away from his duties as host of Fox game show Beat Shazam. His Netflix pic, in which he stars opposite Cameron Diaz, about a couple of former CIA spies pulled back into the game, premieres on January 17.
Stand-up specials from Foxx in an earlier chapter of his career included Straight from the Foxxhole (1993) and I Might Need Security (2002), both for HBO. Foxx exec produced his newest alongside Datari Turner, Marcus King, James Longman, Raj Kapoor, Hamilton, and Katy Mullan. Foxxhole Productions and Done + Dusted are the production companies.