- Foxx gave an emotional 12-minute speech after being honored
- He was not previously listed as an honoree at the event
- He has been mostly out of sight since a health scare in April hospitalized him
Jamie Foxx shocked the guests at the Critics Choice Association’s event honoring minority artists on Monday evening when he made his first public appearance in the wake of his shocking health scare earlier this year.
The actor was honored with the Vanguard Award — which was not previously announced — at the association’s Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements in Los Angeles.
The event also featured honors for Eva Longoria, Past Lives star Greta Lee, Abbot Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph and May December star Charles Melton, among many others.
Although Foxx, 55, has been spotted several times since his shocking hospitalization while filming Back In Action with Cameron Diaz in April, this marked his first official public appearance.
During his acceptance speech, the Oscar-winning actor was visibly emotional as he shares his thanks for the honor.
Foxx’s award was announced by the actress Jurnee Smollett, who costarred with him in The Burial.
He arrived looking dapper in a classic black tuxedo. He posed afterward with Smollett and his award, but he opted to skip the red carpet earlier in the evening.
Foxx admitted that he could not ‘walk’ six months earlier, via Deadline, though he refrained from revealing too many details about the medical crisis that put him in the hospital.
‘You know, it’s crazy, I couldn’t do that six months ago,’ he said after strutting across the stage to the microphone. ‘I couldn’t actually walk.’
‘I want to thanks everybody. I’ve been through something, I’ve been through some things,’ he said to thunderous applause.
‘I cherish every single minute now — it’s different,’ he continued. ‘I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy because it’s tough when it’s almost over … when you see the tunnel. I saw the tunnel — I didn’t see the light.’
Foxx was given his award at the start of the show, but unlike the rest of the recipients, his honor was not announced ahead of time.
In his 12-minute speech, he also made light of some of the baseless conspiracy theories that spread while he was hospitalized and then out of the public eye for several months.
‘I’m not a clone, I’m not a clone. I know a lot of people who was saying I was cloned out there,’ he said, via Entertainment Tonight.
‘I have a new respect for life. I have a new respect for my art,’ he added toward the end of his speech.
Foxx also shared his praise and thanks for his family, including his sister and daughter, for how they had helped to care for him while he was recuperating.
It’s unclear if Foxx will be returning to shoot additional scenes for his film Back In Action, which continued film with Diaz and stand-ins filling in for him.
Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements: Honorees
Icon Award — Edward James Olmos
Career Achievement Award — Shery Lee Ralph
Comedy Trailblazer Award — Ken Jeong
Visionary Award — Jeffrey Wright
Groundbreaker Award — America Ferrera
Producer Award — Charles D. King
Breakthrough Director Award (Film) — Eva Longoria
Actress Award (Film) — Greta Lee
Actor Award (Film) — Colman Domingo
Ensemble Award — The cast of The Color Purple: Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Fantasia Barrino, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Colman Domingo and Corey Hawkins
Supporting Actress Award (Film) — Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Documentary Series Award — Allen Hughes
Animation Award — Kemp Powers
International Animation Award — Makoto Shinkai
Actor Award (TV) — Damson Idris
Supporting Actress Award (TV) — Jessica Williams
Supporting Actor Award (TV) — Oscar Montoya
Breakthrough Performance Awards — Teyana Taylor, Camila Morrone, Charles Melton
Breakthrough Director Award (TV) — Lee Sung Jin
Rising Star Awards — Xolo Maridueña and Keivonn Woodard
Vanguard Award — Jamie Foxx (surprise appearance)