Jamie Foxx is back with another comedy special. But this one took some extra work to finish — it’s all because of Kevin Hart.
Foxx noticeably disappeared from Hollywood circles in 2023 following a life-threatening incident. He later addressed it in his 2024 special, “What Had Happened Was,” after his recovery.
Now, Foxx is back and ready to return to the stage with a fresh perspective after watching Hart’s viral roast.
In Hulu’s stand-up special “Take Care of Yourself,” Foxx will discuss overcoming his health scare. He even made room to joke about President Donald Trump and MAGA voters.
But after watching the controversy surrounding Hart’s Netflix roast, Foxx admitted he had to scrap everything.
“After that Kevin Hart roast, I had to cut everything,” Foxx told The Hollywood Reporter. When asked why, he explained, “Because people became too sensitive.”
“The Roast of Kevin Hart,” released in May, sparked online outrage over a series of jokes that many viewers deemed offensive.
Tony Hinchcliffe told Hart, “The Black community is so proud of you… right now George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
Pete Davidson countered Hinchcliffe by referencing the 2025 assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Adding to the controversy, host Shane Gillis targeted Hart’s height, quipping that the comedian’s short stature would make him difficult to lynch.
Viewers responded with outrage. Many called the joke deeply inappropriate because it mocked the Black community’s trauma with racism.
Foxx, reflecting on their response, said, “The roast was whatever you thought it was, but when they take the jokes so personally — and it is personal.”
He admitted, “I didn’t like the George Floyd s**t at all — but when you see people respond to certain things, you go, ‘Okay, man, maybe we need to tuck that away.’”
The “Ray” actor said he wanted to keep his new special “refreshed.”
“I don’t want to bend anybody into a pretzel and stuff like this,” he said.
Foxx’s explanation for reworking his set didn’t come as a shock so much as a moment of listening.
One user pointed out, “Audiences aren’t too sensitive. They expect comedians to be clever and not simply rely on mean-spirited racism and misogyny in their pathetic attempt at humor.”
Most agreed that the George Floyd joke was offensive. One person stated, “That joke had NO place being said anywhere.”
A third person thought Foxx should’ve spoken out months ago. They said, “Would have helped if he actually checked Kevin.”
Foxx also explained why he has turned down offers to appear on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, “Club Shay Shay.”
“It seems like you get in trouble,” the “Miami Vice” actor said. “It seems like if you don’t say something so crazy, you can’t really move the algorithm.”
He then referenced Katt Williams’ 2024 episode on Sharpe’s show, where Williams took shots at Hart, Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer.
Foxx said Williams faced no follow-up questions, but still the explosive episode went viral and racked up 93 million views.
Still, that type of attention isn’t what Foxx wants if he has to drop bombshells.
“I don’t want to do the podcast because I don’t want to have to do whatever it is to get the algorithm popping. You got to talk crazy s**t,” he confessed.
Speaking of Williams, Foxx also addressed the comedian poking fun at his previous Netflix special during his “Heaven on Earth Tour.” Williams joked that Foxx was a clone and questioned why he opened the special by discussing his medical emergency. He also joked that he cried five minutes into watching the special, saying Foxx had “televised his funeral” even though he was still alive.
The “Dreamgirls” star said he has no issue with criticism, especially when it keeps him in the conversation.
“And if Katt says my special wasn’t funny, that’s better for me because now I got something to talk about,” Foxx added. He then clarified that comics “look for small things of adversity,” that they can later talk about.
Foxx is so unbothered by Williams’ critiques that, he said, “But Katt and I are working together. I got something crazy coming for him.”
Foxx’s “Take Care of Yourself” special will be released on Oct. 7 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
