Jamie Foxx Accepts BET Icon Honor with Tears and Heartfelt Gratitude

When Jamie Foxx walked onto the BET Awards stage on June 9, 2025, it wasn’t just another celebrity moment. It was a comeback, a thank-you, and a deeply personal celebration all wrapped into one. Jamie, 57, accepted the Ultimate Icon Honor in Los Angeles and gave a speech that had the entire room silent, listening, and holding back tears right along with him.

Stevie Wonder’s Warm Welcome

Before Jamie even got the award, Stevie Wonder took the mic to introduce him. But in true Stevie fashion, he mixed heart with humor. He joked about Jamie playing a blind man in “Ray” and thinking they’d become best friends because of it. That light moment set the tone before the real emotion started rolling in.

Stevie wasn’t just there to entertain, though. He reminded everyone that he had seen something special in Jamie years ago. He shared how he first saw him singing and playing piano in a club and knew, right then, Jamie had more to offer. His admiration was clear. “I celebrate your talent,” Stevie told him, and that statement felt like it carried the weight of decades of mutual respect.

Star-Studded Tribute Performances

Then came the tribute — and it was big. Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Ludacris kicked things off by performing Jamie’s hit “Unpredictable.” From there, the vibe shifted into Oscar mode as Tank and Jennifer Hudson performed “Night Time Is the Right Time.” That was a clear nod to Jamie’s Academy Award-winning role in “Ray,” and it hit hard.

Jennifer Hudson didn’t stop there. She dropped in a bit of Kanye West’s “Gold Digger,” which had featured Jamie back in 2005. It reminded everyone just how many musical milestones Jamie has been a part of.

Then came Doug E. Fresh, Teddy Riley, and T-Pain. They brought energy with a throwback to “Blame It,” one of Jamie’s major hits from 2008. The stage was filled with talent, all there to honor a man who’s worn more hats in entertainment than most — actor, singer, comedian, host.

A Raw and Tearful Speech from Jamie

Once the performances wrapped, it was Jamie’s turn. He walked up to the stage, hugged Stevie, and started speaking. Right away, you could feel this wasn’t going to be your average acceptance speech.

“Man, we used to take this thing for granted — that God is good,” he started. His voice cracked, and his eyes welled up. Jamie was remembering what he’d been through — a stroke back in April 2023 that nearly took his life.

He talked about watching the “In Memoriam” segment at the show and thinking, “That could’ve been me.” That kind of honesty hit everyone. He wasn’t up there playing a role or cracking jokes. This was the real Jamie, standing in front of everyone with his heart wide open.

A Promise to Do Right with His Second Chance

Jamie said he didn’t know why he went through what he did, but he knew one thing for sure — he wasn’t going to waste his second chance. He recalled praying, asking for one more shot, and promising to make it count.

He also got real about how fame can mess with your sense of self. “When we get on, we forget about where we come from,” he said. But he made it clear — he hasn’t forgotten.

He mentioned his 2024 Netflix special “What Had Happened Was…” and said it was made for the Black community, the same community that had supported him through his recovery. “Black people was the ones that said, ‘Man, we got you,’” he said. He wasn’t excluding anyone, but he was being honest about who held him up when things were at their worst.

Showing Love to His Team and Family

As the speech went on, Jamie shifted gears to thank his team. He joked about being older now, the kind of guy who’d usually be cast as a dad with a sweater and a coffee mug in a Disney movie. But he said his team “stabilized” him and helped him stay in the game.

Then came the family shout-outs, and it got even more emotional. He looked straight into the audience and spoke to his daughter Corinne, 31, calling her his rock. He said she usually stayed in the background, but when he needed someone to step up, she did.

“You made sure I was here,” he told her, tears still rolling down his face.

Then he turned his attention to his younger daughter, Anelise, who’s just 16. “My baby with the big hair,” he said. She had snuck into his hospital room when he was at his lowest. Jamie said his vitals weren’t good, and nobody wanted Anelise to see him like that. But she came in with her guitar and said, “I know what my daddy need.”

As she played for him, something incredible happened — his vitals improved. That story broke everyone in the room.

A Nod to Community and Culture

Jamie closed out his speech by focusing on the importance of the moment. The Ultimate Icon Award wasn’t just another trophy. It meant more because it came from BET, from his own community.

He didn’t gloss over the times we’re living in either. With everything going on politically and culturally, Jamie said the award mattered because it came from “us.”

This wasn’t about Hollywood approval. It was about love, resilience, and respect from people who’ve seen him rise, fall, and get back up again.

More Than Just an Award

This wasn’t Jamie’s first BET moment. Back in 2018, he hosted the show and paid tribute to Anita Baker with a piano medley. And he’s been honored before too — like in 2013, when he won Best Actor and thanked the legends who paved the way for him, like Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte.

But this moment felt different. This time, he wasn’t just being recognized for his talent. He was being celebrated for his journey, his recovery, and his heart.

Foxx even mentioned his recent appearance at Netflix’s FYSEE LA event, where he opened up once again, joking and crying, just being real with the crowd. He said, “I’m glad God gave me an opportunity to get back so I could see what you’re going to do,” talking to Corinne, and again showing just how deep his gratitude runs.

Cameron Diaz and the Return to Film

A quick side note, but one worth mentioning — when Foxx was recovering, he had just wrapped up work on the Netflix film “Back in Action” with Cameron Diaz. That was a big deal too because Diaz had been away from acting for over a decade. She came back because of Jamie.

She said on “The Graham Norton Show” that she felt it was the right time and the right person. “If I was going to leave my family for 10 hours a day, I wanted to do it with the most talented man in the entertainment business,” she said. That kind of respect shows just how much Jamie means to people inside and outside the industry.

BET Gave Him His Flowers — And Jamie Felt Every Petal

This year’s BET Awards were about more than music and performances. They were about real-life struggles, comebacks, and love. Jamie Foxx reminded everyone that even icons can fall — and when they rise again, they shine brighter than ever.

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