Jamie Foxx’s Parents Left Him To Be Raised By His Grandma But He Still Invited Them To Live With Him Years Later

Jan 11, 2023 by apost team

Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop on Dec. 13, 1967. He was raised in Terrell, Texas, by his grandparents after being abandoned by his parents when he was just 7 months old. In spite of this hardship, Foxx has gone on to have an iconic career and now he uses his lessons learned in life to care for his daughters. 

Foxx is an actor, comedian and singer. He rose to fame in 1991 when he became a featured player on the sketch comedy show “In Living Color.” This success brought him the opportunity to have his own program, called “The Jamie Foxx Show.” He not only starred in the show but was also a co-creator and producer for the five seasons it ran from 1996 to 2001. The series received good ratings and critical acclaim. 

Possibly Foxx’s most popular role came in 2004 when he portrayed Ray Charles in the biopic “Ray.” The actor gave such a stunning performance that he was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, as well as a long list of other accolades. Some of his other prominent films are “Django Unchained,” “Dreamgirls” and “Just Mercy.”  

Not only is he an actor, but Foxx has also won a Grammy award for his song “Blame It,” as well as many other nominations over the years. Foxx credits his grandmother, Estelle Marie Talley, for making him take piano lessons as a kid and helping him foster his talent to make an incredible life for himself and his family. Keep reading to learn more about Foxx and his current relationship with his parents. 

A multi-talented actor and singer, Foxx is known for his many roles and might have his late grandmother Talley to thank for that. Foxx was raised by his grandmother and the two were very close, and he is thankful to her for pushing him to be the man he is today, according to an interview in GQ. That included trips to church for choir and piano classes. When she passed away in 2004, Foxx was devastated.

GQ reported on all the wonderful ways that his grandma, also known as Miz Talley, took care of Foxx and gave him the skills he needed to succeed back home in Terrell, Texas. She didn’t just help his future musical career but also gave him the knowledge to be a family man. Foxx supports any member of his close and extended family that he can, and that includes his daughter Corinne.

In a touching Instagram post, it’s clear that Talley is still in his heart. On May 7, 2019, what would have been her birthday, Foxx posted a throwback photo of the two of them (with Foxx rocking a Jheri curl) and a caption that read, “My rock... Miss u always... #iwishyouwerehere happy birthday ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Estelle Marie Talley.”

Foxx added: "People ask me, would I give up everything to have a relationship with my biological mother and father? And the answer is no. Because as a parent now, I understand that it's really on you. If you want to make your relationship with your kids something great, you can do it. But would I trade everything I have now for the relationship with my daughter? The answer is yes."​​​​​

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While Foxx was growing up with his grandparents, he couldn’t help but miss his parents. He told Oprah in 2005:

“I wanted my mom to show up, but for a different reason: She was so fly and good-looking. We were country (Foxx mimics a country-western fiddle), but my mom was straight city. She had the new hair, the gold earrings, the Sting Ray Corvette.”

Foxx said of his father: “Again, I was puzzled. Why couldn't he drive 28 miles to check on a son who passed a football more than 1,000 yards? I think some of his absence has to do with his being a Muslim. He drew a line in the sand: ‘I'm a Muslim, and since you're not, I can't be your father.’”

The actor went a long time without speaking to his father and felt a relationship with him wasn’t necessary. But when his dad got out of jail, Foxx reached out. He told Graham Norton in 2020: “I couldn’t visit him in jail because I saw him as a king, but I wrote to him to say, ‘Things have gotten good for me and when you get out I will save your life,’ and he has been living with me for 20 years now.”

Later, he reconnected with his mom as well and now they all live under one roof. Foxx shared: 

“She finally accepted (the invitation) and we had a good Christmas, and New Year came. Her birthday is on New Year's Day so we partied for her birthday and then all of a sudden it was February. I said, ‘Hang on a minute are you trying to tell us something?’ She said ‘oh I'm just trying to hang out.’ Now she's been living with us for 12 years.”

On “The Late Late Show With James Corden” in October 2021, Foxx gave even more insights into his interesting living situation, as he told the British host at one point during quarantine, a total of 14 family members were staying under his one roof. This included both his mother and father.

“My mother, who is living with me now, and my father, who have been divorced for some time, they are not quite together. And the thing is, they have been living with each other now for like, 14 years, but they’re divorced!” Foxx remarked.

He added there have been some awkward moments around the house because of the unconventional setup.

“But what’s crazy is, he still dates. He still has girls coming over. She somehow figured out a way to get on his side of the house when there’s a date there just to look at the girl,” the multi-talented entertainer said to laughter from the audience.

Despite the tricky situations that can come up in a household of more than a dozen, it’s clear Foxx is not looking to change the arrangement anytime soon. On Dec. 26, 2022, he posted an adorable holiday clip on Instagram showing him and 10 of his family members all dressed in the same blue and white winter tracksuit. They posed on a large flight of stairs surrounded by beautiful Christmas decorations as the children and adults smiled and gestured happily at the camera. Captioned simply, “Muurrrr chrima,” fans took to the comments to praise his gorgeous family.

“Merry Xmas and new year cute all matching pjs,” one commenter wrote, while another fan remarked, “What a beautiful family! Loved seeing them!”

While Foxx’s past was certainly a challenging one, we’re happy to see him living in the moment and enjoying time with his family – even if it’s all under one roof!

Are you inspired by Foxx’s story? What do you think of him forgiving his parents? Do you think he's doing the right thing by letting them all live in his own house together? Let us know, and feel free to pass this on to your friends and loved ones.