Hollywood loves a good comeback story. But the one involving Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx isn't just about a movie; it's a saga of health scares, retirement u-turns, and the kind of tabloid drama that makes you want to delete your social media apps for a week.
Honestly, it's been a ride.
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Back in 2022, when the news broke that Jamie Foxx had successfully convinced Cameron Diaz to un-retire for a Netflix project aptly titled Back in Action, the internet basically melted. Diaz hadn't made a movie since 2014—ironically, also with Foxx in the Annie remake. She’d been busy building a wine empire with Avaline and living a quiet life with Benji Madden and their kids. She was out. Done.
Then Jamie called. And when Jamie calls, you apparently pick up the phone.
The Production That Almost Broke the Internet
If you followed the headlines during the filming of Back in Action, you probably saw the "nightmare set" stories. Rumors were flying faster than the stunts. People were saying Jamie was "losing it," firing crew members left and right, and that Cameron was so miserable she was going to quit acting again the second the credits rolled.
It sounded like a disaster.
Except, according to Diaz herself, most of that was total nonsense. She went on Molly Sims' Lipstick on the Rim podcast and let it rip. She described Foxx as the "cheerleader" of the set, the guy everyone loved. She was actually angry—not at Jamie, but at the rumors. She mentioned that the only "hiccups" were the normal things that happen on a massive $200 million production.
Well, until the real hiccup happened. The one no one saw coming.
That Scares Us All: Jamie’s Health Crisis
In April 2023, while they were still in the thick of it in Atlanta, everything stopped. Jamie Foxx was rushed to the hospital with what his daughter, Corinne, called a "medical complication." For months, the world was in the dark. The "internet tried to kill me," Jamie later joked in his Netflix special What Had Happened Was..., which finally dropped in late 2024.
He wasn't exaggerating. The speculation was wild. Clones? Vaccine injuries?
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The truth was much more grounded and much more terrifying. Jamie suffered a brain bleed that led to a stroke. He couldn't walk. He didn't even remember the first 20 days of the ordeal. While he was fighting for his life, the production of Back in Action had to scramble, using body doubles for his remaining scenes.
It’s a miracle he’s even here, let alone back on screen. He credited his sister, Deidra, and his daughter for keeping the vultures away while he relearned how to be Jamie Foxx. By January 2024, he was back on set with Diaz to finish what they started.
Why the Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx Connection Works
These two aren't just co-stars. They are a legitimate 25-year friendship. They first shared the screen in Oliver Stone’s 1999 football epic Any Given Sunday.
Think about that for a second. That was before the iPod. Before Netflix was even a streaming service.
- 1999: Any Given Sunday (Gritty, intense, established them both as serious actors).
- 2014: Annie (A musical remake that, while panned by critics, solidified their bond).
- 2025: Back in Action (The big return).
Their chemistry in Back in Action is what carries the movie. Released on Netflix on January 17, 2025, the film follows Emily and Matt, two former CIA spies who gave up the life to raise a family, only to have their cover blown. It’s a classic "one last job" trope, but it works because you can tell they actually like each other.
The critics weren't exactly kind, though. The movie sits at a pretty rough 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers called it "rote" and "generic." But audiences? They didn't care. It raked in nearly 47 million views in its first weekend, making it one of Netflix's biggest debuts.
Is Cameron Diaz Back for Good?
That’s the million-dollar question. She’s already been spotted filming Outcome with Keanu Reeves, and we know she’s returning as Princess Fiona for Shrek 5. But don't expect her to go back to the 80-hour work weeks of the early 2000s.
Diaz has been very clear: her family comes first. She told Fortune that she retired to "reclaim her life," and she isn't giving that up easily. She reserved the right to say no to everything else after this.
Jamie, on the other hand, seems to be on a "second chance" mission. His recovery was long—the worst year of his life, by his own account—but he’s back to hosting Beat Shazam and doing stand-up.
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What You Can Learn From This Saga
- Protect your peace: Diaz showed that it’s okay to walk away when the work doesn't serve you anymore.
- Loyalty matters: Their friendship survived a decade of silence and a near-fatal health crisis.
- Don't believe every headline: Most of the "drama" between Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx was fabricated for clicks while the actors were actually dealing with real-life trauma.
If you haven't seen Back in Action yet, go into it expecting a fun, breezy popcorn flick rather than a cinematic masterpiece. It’s less about the plot and more about seeing two icons enjoy being in the same room again.
Check your Netflix queue to see if it's still trending—it likely is—and maybe go back and re-watch Any Given Sunday to see where this whole partnership started. It’s a wild reminder of how much Hollywood has changed, and how much these two have stayed the same.