It’s never easy being the child of a celebrity, and for Corinne Foxx, it may seem like she’s living a pretty charmed existence, but in reality, she has overcome more than her fair share of tragic difficulties. As the eldest daughter of “Django Unchained” actor Jamie Foxx, Corinne’s career in the spotlight began as a model who walked in the Yeezy showcase and has since followed in her dad’s footsteps to become an actor, starring in the recent shark-infested sequel “47 Meters Down: Uncaged.” She also shares the television screen as the resident DJ alongside her host-with-the-most father in the FOX game show “Beat Shazam.” And to top off what might appear to be nothing but good news, she recently was married in her father’s backyard to her longtime boyfriend and fellow USC alum, Joe Hooten — who popped the question with an eye-popping six-figure diamond engagement ring.
But life hasn’t always been a walk down the aisle for Corinne, and she herself has never shied away from talking about the physical, mental, and emotional struggles that she has endured. Now, she is using her Hollywood acumen to turn a life of often unseen tragedy into a legacy that she and her family can be proud of. Here’s a rundown of the hardships that Corinne has faced to make her the woman she has become today.
She didn’t know why she was in so much pain
Corinne Foxx found herself curled up on the bathroom floor, clutching her stomach and writhing in terrible pain that she had always assumed was normal during her period. Thankfully, in speaking to Today, Foxx said that a roommate told her a few words that changed everything. They said, “Corinne, this is not normal.” The four words led Foxx on a winding medical journey through the offices of five or six doctors, none of whom could not give her a clear answer to her ailments, giving her anxiety-inducing possibilities that ranged from bladder cancer to hormone imbalances.
Corinne told Today about the frustrating beginning to her journey, saying, “It was really a terrifying process and a frustrating process. There’s a lot of medical gaslighting that goes into this journey. I think women of color, especially, are often silenced or not believed when they come in with symptoms.” But Corinne would not be dissuaded, saying, “You just have to keep showing up for yourself. I learned that no one’s going to fight for my health more than me. That really empowered me in the long run despite being discouraged.”
She has stage 4 endometriosis
Corinne Foxx finally found a doctor who gave the correct diagnosis of stage 4 endometriosis. According to the Office of Women’s Health, “Endometriosis happens when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (womb) grows outside of the uterus,” with the condition affecting many women. But even after finally finding an answer she could rely on, the doctor recommended surgery without fully educating Corinne on the operation or even providing her with a larger understanding of endometriosis, which left her unsatisfied.
The uncertainty led Corinne do her own research as she scoured the internet for information, joined online communities, and listened to podcasts to learn as much as she could to determine the best path forward. While the Endometriosis Foundation of America notes that there are non-surgical means to alleviate symptoms, such as birth control, hormonal devices, and therapies, or lifestyle changes, Corrine chose to work with specialist Dr. Iris Orbuch, who performed an excision surgery, which is a minimally invasive procedure that removed the endometriosis lesions. Corinne told Today that the procedure, “Changed my life. I’m semi-pain free — endo has a mind of its own sometimes and some days aren’t the best — but for the most part, I’ve done so much better and it’s such a privilege.”
She pushed past taboos to talk about it
Corinne Foxx later learned that she had an aunt and a grandmother who both had endometriosis but had never been vocal about it. She told Today, “It’s something that was uncomfortable to talk about. Of course, it’s an intimate area of your body.” Now, she wants to acknowledge why women don’t talk about it and break that taboo, saying, “I want to [shed] light on reaching out within your own family and seeing if there is family history.” To do so, she has joined the Endometriosis Foundation of America’s ENPOWR program to help make sure young women know what she sadly did not. She added, “If I had this information when I was learning about periods in my fifth grade health class, it would have made a world of difference for me.”
But that’s not all she’s doing. Corinne has taken everything that she has experienced and learned and has used her cinematic know-how to help executive produce a documentary about endometriosis called “Below the Belt.” Corinne’s doctor connected her with filmmaker Shannon Cohn, whose film follows four women with endometriosis in an effort to show the different ways the chronic disease affects different women. Thankfully, the topic may be becoming less taboo, with Corinne joining a shining list of celebrities such as Halsey, Padma Lakshmi, Amy Schumer, Julianne Hough, and Lena Dunham, who have all also opened up about their experiences with endometriosis.
She has experienced debilitating anxiety
Corinne Foxx was also diagnosed with anxiety when she was only 14 years old. During a chat on the “Looking Up” podcast with Dr. Deepika Chopra, she recalled moments when it was so bad she didn’t want to go to school, explaining that she felt like “my heart was beating out of my chest.” She attributes some of the anxiety to always feeling as if she was being looked at, which could easily come with being the daughter of a very famous father. However, in writing for Refinery29, Corinne credits her parents for helping her, saying, “I reached out to my parents and told them what was going on. It was the best decision I ever made. They found someone, a mental health professional, for me to talk to and together we discovered that I had an anxiety disorder.”
Corinne has since become an advocate for mental health, writing, “I am an ambassador for NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I post frequently about changing the narrative around mental illness and have vowed to be stigma-free. These posts are about acceptance, awareness, and inclusion. However, I never mention my own personal battle with anxiety.” She adds that her struggles, like many people’s, continue beyond the gaze of internet lurkers, saying, “My struggle with anxiety has allowed me… to become a voice for those who feel like they’re struggling in silence. If you’re struggling right now, I want you to know that you are not alone. My days are not easy either. I push and fight every day, just like you — something you don’t see on social media.”
Fame almost made her put distance between her and her dad
Being the daughter of Jamie Foxx has also put an emotional strain on Corinne Foxx, as she sometimes wondered if she should put some distance between herself and her dad. The heartbreaking realization began around the time that she was deciding whether or not she wanted to go to college. Corinne told Togethxr, “I had a lot of people telling me, ‘You don’t have to go to college. You can just go straight into the entertainment world. Doors will open for you. You can make millions of dollars.'” But as is evidenced by Corinne’s ability to overcome adversity, she counters the nepo baby allegations by finishing the million-dollar dream scenario by saying, “But I didn’t want to ride on my dad’s coattails.”
Still, at one point, Corinne said that she thought about changing her last name in order to distinguish herself from her Oscar-winning father, Jamie. But Corinne had a change of heart, saying of the haters, “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve, one, made peace with — people are gonna think things about me that I have no control of.” But not only that, in the same interview with Togethxr, Corinne shows the mature and noble sense of self that has helped her persevere through a life that many could misconstrue as being easy, saying, “And two: I’m proud of my dad, and I’m proud of who he is, and I’m proud of the work he’s done, and I’m proud of just the person that he is.” Her dad, Jamie, is also proud of the woman Corinne has become; he commented on her Instagram post that promoted her endometriosis doc, saying, “So proud of my daughter… You will be blown away by the courage the women possess in this film.”
