Jamie Foxx’s ‘What Had Happened Was…’ Is Way More Religious Revival Than Stand-Up Special

First things first: Jamie Foxx is not a clone. On his new Netflix special, What Had Happened Was…, the comedian clears the air about his secretive health issues over the past year or so. While online rumors spread that the incredibly handsome Foxx had been replaced by test-tube duplicates, he assures us that wasn’t the case. He offers up his Wanda character from In Living Color as proof — Foxx has brought you too much original shit to be a clone. 

So what had happened? Diddy didn’t get him, Foxx assures us. And while he makes fun of Katt Williams’ theory about a “mystery illness,” that’s not far from the real story. Foxx had a stroke last year, and things got serious. At least in this telling, there was a chance the comedian wasn’t going to pull through. Even after he regained consciousness, he needed intensive physical therapy to learn to walk again. The fact that he performed the hour special in an Atlanta theater is something of a miracle.

Foxx knows it, giving credit to God for his eventual healing. In fact, What Had Happened Was… is more of a religious revival meeting than a comedy special, with Foxx breaking into tears several times as he expresses his gratitude to his sister, his daughters, his doctors, his physical therapist and anyone who offered a prayer for his recovery.

At times, What Had Happened Was… threatens to descend into performative melodrama. What saves the show from feeling too maudlin is the real-life tragedy Foxx averted on his road to recovery. When Ellen DeGeneres’ latest special cut to appreciative audience members nodding their approval, it felt self-serving. When Foxx’s performance does the same, at least it feels like he’s earned it. 

There aren’t a lot of laughs in What Had Happened Was… until more than halfway through the special when Foxx breaks into a series of celebrity impressions. His recovery mantra — “If I can stay funny, I can stay alive” — is reinforced by hilarious takes on Denzel Washington, Dave Chappelle, Mike Tyson, Jay-Z and Donald Trump. The laughs are welcome, although the celebrity segment ends with an uncomfortable bit about how a caring Halle Berry hug brought his dormant “pickle” back from the dead. 

The special ramps up with Jamie Foxx’s tribute to Jamie Foxx, a greatest-hits montage where he acts out bits from Any Given Sunday, Ali and Django Unchained. The audience needed to be prompted to remember his voice work in the animated Rio. His Ray Charles practically brought the house down. 

Foxx takes to the piano for a “God is good” hymn at the end, commanding the crowd to sing along. He vows to stop dating white women before promising one last word for the internet and its clone rumors: “Fuck you.”

Of course, that’s not really the way he wanted to bring things to a close. To everyone who prayed for Foxx and wished him a healthy recovery, he delivered a heartfelt “Thank you.”