Why do Jamie Foxx's divorced parents live with him? And why did he and his daughter
go to therapy? Here's what you might not know about the Oscar-winning actor,
whose 2023 health scare had him back in the news.
Born Eric Marlon Bishop to Darrell Bishop and Louise Dixon in 1967, Jamie Foxx's childhood was
anything but easy. With his parents absent from his life, Foxx was raised by his grandparents
Estelle and Mark Talley. Foxx explained in a 2005 interview with The Sunday Times:
"For whatever reason, my biological parents didn't want to make the effort. Legally,
my mother is my sister, because the lady who adopted her, in turn, adopted me."
Jamie Foxx's earliest years might have been rough, but even amidst the chaos,
one thing was evident — he was a boy of many talents. Foxx began playing the piano at age 5,
and as he journeyed into his teenage years, he picked up an interest in singing. Before
long he was named choir leader of his church and became a part-time pianist
for $75 a week. Of course, music was not the only thing Foxx excelled at.
As a teenager, Foxx also enjoyed sports and playing both basketball and football
in high school. In fact, Foxx hoped to become a professional NFL player — a
dream that was soon dashed. He revealed in a 2007 interview with Deseret News:
"I wanted to be a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys,
but when you find out you're not big enough, you've got to find something else to do."
Through the years, Foxx has continued to reference and celebrate his grandparents,
particularly Estelle, whom he credits for his successful career. In 2005,
during his Oscars acceptance speech for Best Actor, the "Ray" star described his
recently-deceased grandmother as his first acting teacher, saying:
"She told me, 'Stand up straight. Put your shoulders back. Act like you got some sense.'"
Jamie Foxx has always been determined to make the best of whatever difficult situations
life throws at him. In 2019's "Just Mercy," the actor depicted Walter McMillian, a man
wrongfully convicted of murder. Foxx received critical acclaim for his powerful performance,
for which he drew inspiration from his former stepfather's personal experience in prison.
"They put my father in jail for 25 dollars worth
of illegal substances. They put him in jail for seven years."
The horrendous working conditions that his grandparents faced while
working for white families in a small town in Texas also pushed
him to aspire to great success. He recounted to The Sunday Times:
"My grandmother had to take a lot of disrespect. They'd call her at
all hours and say, 'Get over here!' It used to burn me up. They'd call my grandfather,
when he was 79, at five in the morning and say,
'We need you here!' I hated that. I decided that won't be me. No, not that. Not me.'"
"I can't take too much more of that. And then
that's when I decided to go to college in San Diego."
Outside of his incredibly successful acting career, Jamie Foxx has also enjoyed success
in another area — music. Though his first album "Peep This" was a flop,
Foxx made a better comeback with the release of his second album "Unpredictable" which
peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It has since been certified double platinum.
After "Unpredictable," he released another studio album, "Intuition," in 2008,
which led to his first Grammy Award, taking home the Best R&B Performance
category for "Blame It," a track on the album featuring T-Pain.
Since then he's released two more albums — "Best Night of My Life" in 2010, and "Hollywood:
A Story of a Dozen Roses" in 2015. Through the years, Jamie has enjoyed steady success,
a feat he credits to two people — his older daughter Corinne Foxx and rapper Kanye West.
"I said, 'Who's that dude over there?' They said,
'That's that new dude, Kanye. He produced beats for Jay-Z, whatever.'"
During his early days in the music industry, Corinne advised her father to collaborate more
with younger artists — a tip he remains grateful for. Jamie told the Independent:
"A lot of times in order to be successful with music, you have to
listen and sometimes allow other people to sort of steer you in the right direction."
In an industry where stars often make the headlines for their many run-ins with the law,
Jamie Foxx has done a decent job staying out of trouble. Still,
he is not completely without legal drama. In April 2003, Foxx and his sister Diedra Dixon
made headlines after getting into an altercation at a New Orleans Casino. As reported by CNN,
the two siblings allegedly refused to show their IDs upon entry at the casino. Foxx and
Dixon were then accused of ending their night with verbal and physical exchanges against the police.
The "Annie" actor was charged with trespassing, battery on officers, and resisting arrest while
Dixon faced charges of trespassing, simple battery on officers, aggravated battery, and resisting
arrest, per Entertainment Weekly. After agreeing to a plea deal, Foxx was sentenced to a six-month
suspended jail sentence, two years probation, and a $1,500 fine. Dixon, on the other hand,
received a suspended sentence of six years in prison and five years probation. She was
also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and $13,000 compensation to the officers, People reported.
Despite maintaining a clean slate in the years that followed,
Foxx once again made headlines in 2018 after a woman accused him of sexual
assault 16 years earlier. In a statement to People, Foxx denied the allegation,
adding that he would be taking legal action to clear his name. Barely one month later,
the case was closed because, according to TMZ, the statute of limitations ran out in 2005.
He is often surrounded by many of the world's biggest stars,
but to Jamie Foxx, very few people shone as bright as his little sister Deondra Dixon.
"What have you learned from Deondra?"
"Learned how to live."
Foxx has often gushed about his sibling, who was a proud ambassador for the Global
Down Syndrome Foundation. Beyond her shining light, Foxx has also credited
her for keeping him grounded through the chaos of fame, telling Dateline in 2018,
"You get caught up in all this Hollywood,
and it really doesn't matter. She brings you back down to what life is."
In October 2020, Deondra sadly died at the age of 36. Announcing the news in an Instagram post,
Foxx was understandably devastated, writing, in part,
"My heart is shattered into a million pieces. […] Tho my pain is unbelievable,
I smile when I think of all of the great memories that she left me."
Since her passing, Foxx has continued to honor his
little sister's memory. He wrote in a March 2023 Instagram post.
"Deondra I know [you're] in heaven making everyone laugh. [...] I miss you terribly,
but I know your soul is shining bright."
Deondra isn't the only sibling the star has a close bond with, as he has since
proven to be just as close to his other sister Diedra Dixon. Foxx once gushed on Instagram:
"When I say I love her to the moon and back, it's not enough."
Growing up, Jamie Foxx had little to no relationship with his birth parents Darrel
Bishop and Louise Talley Dixon. And despite the love and support he received from his
grandparents, Foxx revealed in his 2021 memoir "Act Like You Got Some Sense" that he struggled
with his parents' absence. Sadly, despite several attempts at building a connection,
Foxx was never able to maintain a relationship with his biological
dad — at the time of Bishop's death, the two were not on speaking terms.
Foxx's relationship with his former stepfather George Dixon was a far cry from what he had with
Bishop. After Dixon served a seven-year prison sentence, Foxx invited him to come live with him.
"I said, 'Hey, you know, things have gotten good for me. When you get out, I'll save your life.
And he's been living with me for 20 years now."
A few years later, Foxx's mother Louise also moved in with him. And despite being divorced,
Louise and George found a way to get along quite fine. Foxx described the household as "weirdly
fun," especially since George still dates — sometimes leading to his mom checking in on them.
"She'll go on his side of the house just to see who's in there, like, 'Hey, mmm, hey.'"
Being one of Hollywood's most revered actors with a music career and two daughters,
Corinne and Annalise, Jamie Foxx has a lot on his hands. In "Act Like You Have Sense," Foxx
opened up about his relationship with his older daughter Corinne,
revealing that they once went into therapy to improve their relationship. He recounted:
"Like too many dads, I wasn't listening to her when she tried to talk to me, instead
giving her my opinion about what she should be doing. I think my fame also got in the way."
Despite having all of her basic needs met, Corinne revealed in therapy that she once
struggled to love her father — a confession Foxx says broke his heart. Fortunately,
the father-daughter duo has since worked on reviving their bond and now,
things couldn't be any better. Corrine gushed to People in 2019:
"Just in general my dad is like the most supportive dad in the world. The fact that
he believes in me, without a doubt — it gives me the confidence to do so much."
"You gotta let them live their life man, and…"
In April 2023, Corinne issued a statement on behalf of her family
after Jamie was hospitalized with an undisclosed medical condition,
saying he was recovering. Jamie himself broke his silence on May 3, writing on Instagram,
"Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed."
Don't expect there to be a Mrs. Foxx anytime soon. Speaking in 2021, Jamie Foxx revealed he
had no plans of ever getting married because it never sounded appealing to him. He told E! News:
"The 2.5 children, the wood paneling on the station wagon,
and the cottage, I didn't think that was for me."
If you think the star might end up getting convinced otherwise, he says people around
him know better than to try, and he's been saying the same thing for over a decade.
"Do you think you're not built for marriage?"
"I don't think if I'm…I don't know if I'm built for marriage."
Foxx also believes his relationship with his kids was preserved from
the troubles that a failed marriage would have brought. He went on to say:
"A lot of those marriages ended up not doing well as the kids got older. Unfortunately,
we saw the kids get fractured from their families. Us, we actually came together more.
So I don't know what that is, I just know that it is different but it's a whole lot of love."