Jamie Foxx’s Daughter Corinne Says Fame Is the Worst
Corinne Foxx, 23, knows all about fame. She’s a model, an actress, and Miss Golden Globe 2016, as well as, of course, A-List actor Jamie Foxx’s daughter. She has memories of being on a movie set with Leonardo DiCaprio and in the recording studio with Justin Timberlake.
But she doesn’t exactly recommend the lifestyle in a new essay she wrote for Refinery29, titled, “My Dad Is Hugely Famous — and It’s Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be.”
“Growing up in Hollywood, as the daughter of an Oscar winner, I feel as though people imagine my childhood being filled with yachts, shopping sprees, premieres, lavish dinner parties, and a whole bunch of nannies,” she writes. “Boy, I wish it was as fabulous as you all imagined it.”
Most of the time, her childhood included regular things, such as cheerleading practice, episodes of Gossip Girl, and YA books. It wasn’t until Foxx got older that she began noticing the downside of fame.
“It makes everyday life almost impossible. In order to keep any form of privacy, you have to become a recluse,” she says. “If you’re not hiding in your home, you must accept that everything you wear, eat, say, believe, love, and support is free game to be criticized. Sure, you may have millions of people who claim to love you; but that comes with millions of people who hate you — for reasons beyond your control.”
“If my dad wants to see me perform in a play or attend my college graduation, he has to come late, sit in the back, wear a scarf around his face, before leaving early,” Foxx explains. “If my dad wants to walk down the street, he has to be aware that he could be photographed. If my dad wants to write a joke for his new movie, he has to be prepared that it could be spun the wrong way and make national news. Even for me (please note: I am nowhere near any sort of fame), I constantly wonder if people want to genuinely be my friend or just want me to tag them in an Instagram one day.”
While she acknowledges the “blessings of celebrity,” Foxx refers to fame as a “double-edged sword.”
She notes that, in a world of stars made on reality TV and social media, she’s noticed more of her peers are chasing fame — not to be an actor, musician, model, but for the recognition and the riches it can bring.
“They would say, ‘Oh I would do anything to be famous,’” she writes. “Statements like those would baffle me. In my mind, my father never pursued fame explicitly; he pursued his passions and his love for the job. The thought of doing something just to receive baseless recognition made little sense to me. What would you do with the fame you achieved purely for fame’s sake? Did you just want millions of people to be admiring you for no reason? Do you even know what you’re getting yourself into? Then, I realized that they didn’t understand the reality of fame.”
Instead of seeking celebrity, Foxx encourages people to pursue their craft.
“You can deal with the social media bashing, paparazzi stalkers, lies made national news, dehumanization, and isolation, only if you are doing what you truly love: your art. Blindly chasing fame will only lead to disappointment.”
Indeed, not many people have managed to pull off a career as long as Corinne’s Oscar-winning father’s. But she will give it a shot, presumably for the sake of doing what she loves — in this year’s movie All-Star Weekend, co-starring her dad and Eva Longoria.
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