He opens his home to couch surfers! Jamie Foxx revealed that he has helped many young artists, including Ed Sheeran, get their start in the music business.
Foxx, 49, said that he gave Sheeran, 26, a place to stay in L.A. before he got his big break. “You want all art to be celebrated from everybody. I had Ed Sheeran sleep on my couch for six weeks,” he told Entertainment Tonight on Monday, June 12. “Before he made it, he came to my crib. So did Anthony Hamilton, Nick Cannon, all these [people]. You gotta press anybody that’s got that artistic feel, that touch, you’ve got to lift them up.”
Foxx’s Baby Driver costar Ansel Elgort, who joined the “Blame It” singer for the interview, confirmed that the superstar really is an amazing mentor. “He really spreads the love and he’s so supportive of everything,” Elgort, 23, chimed in. “As a young actor walking onto this set — and this goes for Jon [Hamm] as well — I was so excited to do this movie, but I didn’t expect any kind of relationship with these guys, where they would be so supportive.”
The Divergent star said he’s also scored an invite to Foxx’s L.A. mansion, which has a recording studio. “He invited me to his house and said, ‘Come to the studio, I want to hear your music,’” Elgort said. “He’s been so supportive through everything and it’s just awesome because it made this process so much more fun.”
In 2014, Sheeran opened up about crashing at Foxx’s home during an appearance on The Bert Show. “I didn’t get off the plane and get a cab to his house, though. I had already lived on different people’s couches for about a month before that,” he said. “I met his manager when I played his venue, The Foxxhole, and his manager was like come on [Jamie’s radio] show. So I did the show, and then [Jamie] gave me his email. And there was some dodginess as well involving other people and I had to escape that, so that’s why I went to his house.”
The “Shape Of You” singer’s Foxxhole show was in 2010. Two years later, his first album, +, debuted, and his single “A Team” skyrocketed up the charts.
