Tearful Jamie Foxx Accepts Ultimate Icon Honor at 2025 BET Awards: 'My Second Chance I'm Not Going to Turn Down'

Jamie Foxx is getting his flowers astatine nan 2025 BET Awards.

On Monday, June 9, nan multi-hyphenate accepted nan Ultimate Icon Honor astatine nan awards ceremonial successful Los Angeles.

Before Foxx, 57, was presented pinch nan award, Stevie Wonder — who goes "way back" pinch him — delivered a thoughtful introduction.

"He deed maine up because of his triumph - Academy Award - for Ray. And I said, 'You cognize Jamie, conscionable because you play a unsighted man that don't mean that we're besties, okay?'" he quipped.

A bid of artists past appeared connected shape to salary tribute to Foxx.

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds teamed up pinch Ludacris to screen nan honoree's 2005 way "Unpredictable" earlier Tank took nan shape to modulation into Foxx's "Oscar era" pinch a capacity pinch Jennifer Hudson for a capacity of Ray Charles' 1958 classical "Night Time Is nan Right Time (To Be pinch nan One You Love)."

Hudson, 43, past belted a snippet of Kanye West's 2005 way "Gold Digger," which featured Foxx.

Doug E. Fresh, Teddy Riley and T-Pain past covered his 2008 deed "Blame It."

Wonder past returned to nan shape and recalled nan first clip he met Foxx.

"Jamie. Jamie! Look astatine me. Listen, you know, I retrieve seeing you nan first clip astatine a nine playing nan soft and singing. But I knew from nan infinitesimal I heard you singing that you had truthful overmuch more. I respect and observe your talent."

Wonder, 75, past jokingly praised Foxx's "love for unsighted people."

"I'm very happy to beryllium present coming to spot you honored arsenic you very good deserve," he concluded.

Foxx past took nan shape and embraced Wonder earlier sharing an affectional speech.

"Man, we utilized to return this point for granted — that God is good," he began. "All nan time. I cannot moreover statesman to definitive nan emotion that I consciousness from everybody retired there."

Foxx past began to tear up arsenic he discussed surviving a adjacent his near-fatal changeable successful April 2023: "I gotta beryllium honorable — erstwhile I saw nan 'in memoriam' [portion of nan awards show], I was for illustration man, that could person been me. But I don't cognize why I went done what I went through, but I cognize my 2nd chance I'm not going move down. I'm not going to move down."

Foxx past recalled he asked for "one much crack" astatine life.

"I said immoderate logic you put this connected me, I committedness I'mma do right. I'mma do correct successful beforehand of y'all, because I cognize a batch of times, erstwhile we get connected we hide astir wherever we travel from," he said.

Foxx past addressed really his 2024 Netflix typical Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… was for nan Black community.

"When I did my special, it was for nan Black people. Black group was nan ones that said, 'Man, we sewage you.' Not to opportunity that achromatic group can't believe either — I cognize that sounds weird, but y'all cognize what I'm saying," he said.

Foxx continued: "It's like, you guys held maine down. And I don't want to make this full reside astir that, but you can't spell done thing for illustration that and not testify."

The Collateral actor past shared his gratitude for his team.

"Thanks truthful overmuch for pulling maine through," he began. "I'm seasoned. I don't want to opportunity I'm old, but I americium older. So, usually astatine this time, astatine this age, you're playing that begetter connected Disney. You know, you sewage that big-ass sweater and nan java mug? But luckily, I person a awesome squad that stabilized me."

Foxx past addressed nan existent governmental scenery and nan value of nan grant coming from nan Black community. "The Icon Award is nan astir important grant because it comes from us," he said.

Foxx past thanked his family for caring for him during his wellness crisis, paying typical tribute to his "beautiful daughter," Corinne.

"I cannot opportunity capable astir you," he said of his daughter, 31. "You've ever taken nan backseat to everything. But erstwhile you needed to thrust it, you drove. And you made judge I was here. And I ain't going to move down."

Foxx past noted that he wasn't going to extremity crying "just yet" and thanked Wonder for his benignant words.

He past shared his emotion for his younger girl Anelise, 16, who was sitting successful nan audience.

"My babe pinch nan large hair," said Foxx. "She hides nether that hairsbreadth because she's sewage thing special. You're truthful beautiful man."

He added that erstwhile he was "fighting for my life" and his vitals were "bad," he didn't want his youngest girl to spot him "like that."

"But my Anelise overheard nan speech and she snuck into my infirmary room pinch her guitar and said, 'I cognize what my daddy need.' And arsenic she played nan guitar, my vitals dropped," Fox recalled.

The BET Ultimate Icon Award celebrates "decades of groundbreaking contributions to music, entertainment, advocacy, and organization impact,” nan web said up of Monday’s show.

Mariah Carey, Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg were besides recognized successful nan category.

Foxx is nary alien to nan BET Awards, arsenic nan Academy Award victor not only hosted nan show successful 2018, but took nan shape arsenic good for a televised tribute to Anita Baker. The “Angel” singer, 67, sat successful nan audience, swaying backmost and distant arsenic he performed a medley of her hits while playing nan piano.  

"I said 1 time I’m going extremity crying. But I sewage a emotion I'll ne'er extremity crying because you were special," Foxx told Corinne astatine Netflix’s FYSEE LA arena connected May 29 during a humorous and heartfelt Q&A that included jokes, impressions and nan actor's gratitude towards healthcare workers that helped him recover.

"I'm gladsome God gave maine an opportunity to get backmost truthful I could spot what you're going to do because you're going to daze nan world," he continued, adding that Corinne has "always been grounded" and "held maine down" during nan wellness scare.

He besides recalled gathering nan aesculapian squad astatine Piedmont Hospital successful Atlanta for nan first clip aft he’d been sedated. Foxx was unconscious for 20 days earlier waking up successful a wheelchair.

Foxx had been successful Atlanta to movie his Netflix movie Back successful Action other Cameron Diaz.

The Charlie’s Angels alum, 52, thanked him for ending her decade-long acting hiatus. 

"I had 10 years of not paying attraction to anything; not accepting immoderate advances, and past I sewage this book and thought that possibly it was time," Diaz said of Foxx connected nan Jan. 17 section of The Graham Norton Show. "If I was going to time off my family for 10 hours a time I wanted to do it pinch the astir talented man successful nan intermezo business."

In 2013, Foxx besides won nan BET Award for champion actor.

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During his acceptance speech, he thanked those who came earlier him, specified arsenic Sidney Poitier and “another acting god” Harry Belafonte. 

The BET Awards are airing unrecorded connected Monday, June 9 from Los Angeles' Peacock Theater connected BET.