Jamie Foxx rep shuts down claims his mysterious illness is due to COVID-19 vaccine

A wild claim that Jamie Foxx was hospitalised from a COVID-19 vaccine is making the rounds online although his representative denied this, stating that it has nothing to do with his undisclosed illness.

The rumour started after A.J. Benza, who once worked for the New York Daily News, cited a source who he said told him that the actor got sick after he took a COVID-19 booster. He told Dr. Drew Pinsky on his May 30 online talk show "Ask Dr. Drew" that his said source "in the room" revealed that Foxx was left "partially paralysed and blind" after taking the vaccine.

Benza alleged that the actor was forced to take the booster before he filmed his new movie "Back in Action" alongside Cameron Diaz. Unfortunately, he developed a blood clot which led to a stroke.

Foxx's representative denied the claim in an email sent to NBC News writing that it is "completely inaccurate." Dr. Drew also did not challenge Benza's claim and the latter also did not share any more details about his inside source.

The "Django Unchained" star was hospitalised in Atlanta for an undisclosed medical condition in early April with his daughter Corinne, 29, sharing the news with the public. On May 3, the actor broke his silence and wrote on social media, "Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed." But he has yet to discuss any details about his illness.

Then on May 12, his daughter slammed reports that his father was preparing for the worst and revealed that has been "out of the hospital for weeks" and "recuperating." She wrote on her Instagram Story, "Sad to see how the media runs wild. My Dad has been out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating. In fact, he was playing pickleball yesterday! Thanks for everyone's prayers and support!"

Foxx has reportedly been attending a physical rehabilitation facility in Chicago where he is recovering. His relatives were seen leaving the facility on May 15.

Despite a denial from his spokesperson, Benza's claim still caught the public's attention, especially from far-right commentators including Candace Owens. She addressed the claim on her YouTube podcast, alleging that it must be true because of the late response from Foxx's family.

"Their silence seems as though there is some veracity to this claim. We're all holding our breath to see whether or not Jamie Foxx speaks out," she said in a video posted on June 7. Meanwhile, actor Kevin Serbo also tweeted an article about the COVID-19 vaccine injuring Foxx and said he was "praying" for him.

Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative organisation "Talking Points USA" also tweeted, "Those of us who spoke against the mRNA shot were attacked in every imaginable way. I am infuriated a decent person like Jamie Foxx fell victim to Big Pharma because a movie set is still dumb enough to mandate their cash cow clot shot."

He also shared an article relating to Benza's claim. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Kirk, said his client shared the news "so readers could check it out for themselves" and that "if there were inaccuracies with Benza's reporting, or if the family disagrees with his description of the facts, those are questions that should be directed to Mr. Benza."

Meanwhile, Dr. Pinsky explained that he had Benza on his show because he has "reported on celebrity news for over three decades" and that he offered to provide more information about Foxx's condition. He explained in an email that the former writer's statements "were based on his own confidential sources" so he "can't speculate further than what he said on the show." Dr. Pinsky also shared his sincere hope that the unnamed source is wrong and that Foxx "will make a full recovery."