I was having the time of my life—partying, drinking, and just living it up. Then I get a phone call. I pick up, and on the other end, this voice says, “Hi, Jamie Foxx.”
I’m like, “Uh, who’s this?”
“This is Oprah.”
And right then, I thought, Oh no, Jamie, you’re blowing it.
But Oprah doesn’t miss a beat. She goes, “You’re blowing it.”
I was caught off guard. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“All this partying, all this running around—it’s not what you want to do,” she said. “I want to take you somewhere so you can understand the significance of what you’re doing.”
So fast-forward a bit, and Oprah takes me to Quincy Jones’s house. The moment we walk in, Quincy greets me. “Hey, man, you’re doing great, but we don’t want you to blow it, baby.”
Inside, it felt like a scene out of a movie. There were all these legendary Black actors from the ‘60s and ‘70s, and they were looking at me like, Good luck, kid. Don’t mess this up. It was like a full-on intervention.
I’m standing there thinking, Wow. Is this really happening?
Then Oprah says, “Are you ready to meet someone you need to meet?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
She points and says, “He’s right over there.”
And there he was—Sidney Poitier. Standing in a tuxedo, looking as iconic as ever.
I couldn’t believe it. “They really brought out Sidney Poitier,” I thought to myself.
It was one of those surreal Hollywood moments. Meeting Sidney Poitier through Oprah? Definitely not something I ever imagined. And apparently, he didn’t just give me advice. Some say Sidney had a way of connecting with people in ways that went far beyond words.
Sidney Poitier, during his time, encouraged people to work within the existing system, while Sam Cooke pushed for breaking it down and building something new. Poitier’s romantic history includes a relationship with Eartha Kitt, a Black woman—though not dark-skinned—whom he reportedly once told, “What is me being in love with you and walking around Beverly Hills with you going to do for my career?”
Poitier’s journey is one of incredible inspiration. At just 12 years old, he dropped out of school to work as a water boy for laborers. Fearing he was heading in the wrong direction, his parents sent him to Miami to live with his brother at 14. There, he worked odd jobs, including as a dishwasher and deliveryman, all while holding onto his dream of becoming an actor.
Despite being rejected because of his accent and lack of education, Poitier taught himself standard English and improved his reading skills with the help of his coworkers. He eventually landed a spot in a theater school by working as a janitor. During one rehearsal, he filled in for Harry Belafonte, catching the attention of a Broadway producer, which launched his acting career.
Poitier became a trailblazer in American cinema, receiving an Oscar nomination for The Defiant Ones (1958) and winning Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963). In 2002, he was honored with an honorary Oscar, and in 2009, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
However, despite these achievements, there have been rumors surrounding Poitier’s behavior in Hollywood. Some have suggested that he may have taken advantage of the men he mentored, with whispers claiming he attended parties not for socializing but to scout certain individuals.
Jamie Foxx, on the other hand, recalls feeling unworthy during the 2004-2005 awards season, despite winning an Academy Award for Best Actor. Reflecting on that time, he admitted, “I didn’t take it seriously at all. I thought there was no way I could win, so I used it as an excuse to party. I went to the Golden Globes with champagne and was just wrong on the red carpet. I disrespected the process.”
At the Golden Globe Awards, Jamie Foxx was nominated for multiple awards that year. While walking the red carpet, he and a friend were loudly celebrating and shouting about how many awards they were up for. Later, Jamie recalled that his behavior was so immature that his publicist actually called him and scolded him for it. Oprah Winfrey also pulled him aside and told him he was “blowing it.” She then took him to meet Sidney Poitier and Quincy Jones to help him understand the significance of the moment.
During their meeting, Jamie did impressions of both Poitier and Jones. Quincy, with his characteristic bluntness, told Jamie he needed to “buckle down” and take things more seriously. He even said, “You can do it, man. We’re counting on you, baby.” Sidney Poitier also gave Jamie important advice, praising his performance in Ray and telling him that it had helped Sidney grow artistically. Sidney challenged him to take responsibility for his work, saying, “From now on, throughout your career, you be responsible for what you give and what you show.” Jamie has always strived to live up to that guidance, recognizing how vital it was to his growth.
There have been rumors suggesting that after this encounter, Jamie and Sidney grew even closer, with some even speculating that they developed a more intimate relationship. While Sidney Poitier was widely admired, some people have hinted that there was more to his character than met the eye. Much of this remained hidden due to the lack of social media during his heyday, but some stories have since surfaced.
One of the more scandalous stories involves Sidney’s affair with actress Diahann Carroll, which lasted for much of the 1960s. The two met while working on the film Porgy and Bess. At the time, Sidney was married to his first wife, Juanita Hardy, with whom he had four daughters. Carroll was also married to music manager Monte Kay. In her 2008 memoir, The Legs Are the Last to Go, Carroll claimed that Sidney promised he would leave his wife for her. He allegedly persuaded her to divorce her husband so they could be together. However, once she followed through on that, Sidney changed his mind, telling her he wouldn’t be leaving his wife after all.
Carroll also detailed how their wedding plans kept getting delayed. Sidney had paid for an apartment for her, and she was preparing to move in when he unexpectedly changed the locks and demanded that she write him a check to cover the costs of the place. She described feeling submissive and desperate during this time. After Sidney eventually separated from Juanita in 1965, he told Carroll he wasn’t ready for another marriage. Their relationship became increasingly strained, especially when Carroll started dating other men. She claimed that Sidney, furious, called her at a hotel, yelled at her, and said, “I know he just left your bed! I won’t have you running around with other men. You belong to me!”
Sidney Poitier’s behavior has been described as possessive, and there have been unconfirmed claims that he was physically abusive toward women. Jaguar Wright has suggested that a documentary about Poitier would be highly damaging, claiming that Poitier did some of the worst things in the industry to maintain his career.
There have also been accusations from alleged family members who say Poitier abandoned and disowned them. One person, who claims to be a relative, wrote online that he “dissed his whole family” and never looked back, with another family member supporting this sentiment. Additionally, someone who once did the hair of one of Poitier’s daughters in the 1980s said that the daughter didn’t have anything positive to say about him.
Wright also mentioned how Poitier allegedly mistreated Black women, citing Eartha Kitt’s stories about prominent Black men, including Poitier and Harry Belafonte, who reportedly wanted nothing to do with Black women. Wright pointed out that Kitt faced criticism for marrying a white man, with many Black men, including Poitier, refusing to have a relationship with her. Wright also claimed that Poitier spread lies about Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, and she argued that a documentary about him would expose the worst of his actions.
As for the rumors about a connection between Jamie Foxx and Poitier, they remain unproven. However, considering the various allegations surrounding both men, some might not find such rumors surprising. Do you believe Jaguar Wright when she says a documentary on Poitier would be damning? Do you think there was ever a relationship between Poitier and Jamie Foxx? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
