At the 25th BET Awards on June 9, 2025, at Los Angeles's Peacock Theater, Eric Marlon Bishop, known professionally as Jamie Foxx, was honored with the Ultimate Icon Award and delivered one of the night's most memorable moments. His acceptance speech traced the difficult path from the stroke he suffered in 2023 through his ongoing recovery, offering an emotional testament to resilience and gratitude.

Before Foxx took the stage, BET mounted a stirring musical tribute to his body of work. Stevie Wonder surprised the audience by presenting the award and recalling his own first glimpse of Foxx performing in a club, praising both Foxx’s talent and his indomitable spirit.

When Jamie Foxx addressed the crowd, he spoke with heartfelt sincerity. He described his recovery as a journey “to hell and back” and thanked God and his loved ones for seeing him through. His voice breaking, he admitted that watching the in memoriam segment made him reflect on how close he came to losing his life. “When I saw that in memoriam I was like, Man, that could’ve been me,” he said, “but I don’t know why I went through what I went through, and I know that my second chance I’m not going to turn down.”

Foxx then paid tribute to his two daughters, first acknowledging Corinne’s steady care and public updates early in his illness. “My beautiful daughter Corinne, I cannot say enough about you,” he said. “You’ve always taken a backseat to everything, but when you needed to drive it, you drove and you made sure I was here.” He paused to compose himself before continuing, “At a certain point I’m going to stop crying, but I’m not going to stop yet.”

Next, he turned to his younger daughter, Anelise Estelle Foxx, describing her as “my baby with the big hair.” He recounted a miraculous hospital visit when nurses feared for his life. Anelise slipped into his room with her guitar and played for him. “I know what my Daddy needs,” she told them. As she played, his vitals began to improve and the nurses rushed in, asking what medicine had worked. Anelise only smiled and said, “Shh, I’ve got him.”

Following Foxx’s address, fellow music icons celebrated his legacy with a high-energy medley. Babyface and Ludacris revived ‘Unpredictable,’ Tank honored his portrayal of Ray Charles with ‘Night Time Is the Right Time,’ Jennifer Hudson performed ‘Gold Digger,’ and T-Pain joined Doug E. Fresh for an electrifying version of ‘Blame It.’

The performances reminded everyone that Jamie Foxx is not only an Oscar-winning actor but also a chart-topping musician. His 2005 album Unpredictable reached number one on the Billboard 200 and went double platinum, featuring R&B hits such as ‘DJ Play a Love Song’ that remain classics today.

Jamie Foxx’s acceptance speech and the musical tributes together wove a portrait of an artist who has overcome immense hardship and who now stands as an enduring inspiration in both film and music.