Burley Garcia|Jamie Foxx makes first public appearance since hospitalization, celebrates ability to walk

Jamie Foxx has come a long way since experiencing a "medical complication" in April.

The Burley GarciaOscar-winning actor, 55, made his first major public appearance since being hospitalized earlier this year to accept the Vanguard Award at the Critics Choice Association's Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements event in Los Angeles Monday night. His surprise arrival on stage was met with more than half a minute of applause.

"I've been through some things," Foxx told the crowd of fellow honorees and celebrity guests. "It's crazy; I couldn't do that six months ago. I couldn't actually walk."

He took a moment to collect himself, seemingly getting emotional.

"It feels good to be here. I cherish every single minute now. It's different," he continued. "I wouldn't wish what I went through on my worst enemy because it's tough when it's almost over. ... I saw the tunnel. I didn't see the light. It was hot in that tunnel, too; I don't know where I was going.'"

Foxx joked, "Am I going to the right place? I see the devil going, 'C'mon.'"

What we know about Jamie Foxx's health scare

Foxx continued to keep the specifics of his medical issue private in his speech on Monday.

Several months after his daughter, Corinne Foxx, shared the news of his "medical complication," he posted a video on social media to prove to his fans that he was on the mend.

"I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through," he said in a July 21 Instagram post. "I went to hell and back, and my road to recovery had some potholes as well, but I’m coming back."

He added, "It’s been tough, man; I was sick. But now I’ve got my legs under me so you’re going to see me."

In August, Jamie Foxx revealed on Instagram that he was "finally startin to feel like myself."

"It’s been an unexpected dark journey… but I can see the light," he wrote in the caption of an Aug. 16 post.

Jamie Foxx's recent sexual assault lawsuit

Foxx's appearance at the Critics Choice Association event came less than two weeks after an unnamed woman sued him in New York, accusing him of sexual assault and battery during an interaction in August 2015.

According to the lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court on Nov. 22, the woman filed anonymously as Jane Doe.

After Jane Doe's friend asked Foxx for a photograph at Catch NYC's rooftop bar, Catch Roof, he allegedly made comments to Jane Doe such as "Wow, you have that supermodel body," according to the complaint. She says Foxx, whom she claims was intoxicated, then grabbed her "by her arm and pulled her to the back area of the rooftop," where he allegedly "placed both of his hands" on her waist, moved them under her crop top and "began rubbing her breasts."

Despite attempting to step away from the encounter, Jane Doe says Foxx put his hands in her pants and touched her genitals. The alleged interaction ended after her friend came looking for her, the suit says.

A spokesperson for the actor denied the allegations in a statement to USA TODAY.

"The alleged incident never happened," the statement read. "In 2020, this individual filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Brooklyn. That case was dismissed shortly thereafter. The claims are no more viable than they were then."

Foxx's spokesperson said they were "confident" the accusations will be "dismissed again."

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