While actor and comedian Jamie Foxx is known to be a big Dallas Cowboys fan, not every player on that team has been a fan of his acts. Back in 2003, Foxx agreed to host ‘Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Roast of Emmitt Smith,’ and the event was meant to honor Emmitt Smith’s NFL career while also allowing the attendees to poke fun at him. But actor and comedian Joe Torry just revealed that Foxx may have pushed things a bit too far in that event, especially with Cowboys legend Daryl Johnston.

“Jamie was kind of hosting something like that for the first time, so he was just being Jamie,” Joe Torry recalled recently in an interview with The Art of Dialogue. “He talked about Michael Irvin; he was talking about everybody… He [Johnston] was the first person up, so Jamie sacrificed him as he talked badly about him. And he was corny with, ‘Who is this and blah blah,’ but he was using that to try to be a sports announcer.”

“So, he was using that to show that he can be witty and he has some stories, and he can be a great commentator,” Torry added. “And Jamie just went in on him, so he and his wife were backstage about to whoop his a–.”

The “Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Roast of Emmitt Smith” highlighted Emmitt Smith’s legendary run with the Dallas Cowboys, along with his exit in 2002 and eventual stint with the Arizona Cardinals. As Torry also put it, Smith had such a clean reputation that finding anything truly negative to joke about was difficult. That likely explains why Johnston became an easy target during the show.

Former Cowboys fullback Daryl “Moose” Johnston played a major role in Dallas’ 1990s dynasty, which won three Super Bowls. A neck injury prematurely ended Johnston’s career in 1999, but before that, his specialized blocking helped Smith become the all-time leading rusher in the NFL. Johnston was in attendance at the game in which Smith broke the rushing record, and the RB attributed that success to the retired fullback’s selflessness.

So, when Johnston took the stage with a carefully prepared, three-page speech, he probably didn’t expect to become the punchline instead. But Torry just recalled that Johnston’s delivery came off a bit stiff and corny, and it was exactly the kind of setup a comedian like Jamie Foxx thrived on. 

But instead of playful teasing, Foxx’s jokes on Johnston reportedly became more personal. And both Johnston and his wife could take it lightly, so they confronted Foxx backstage. Now, according to Torry, the situation nearly turned physical at that time.

“Dick Gregory was like, ‘What’s going on?’” Torry further recalled. “His [Johnston’s] wife was in his face. She had a nice little dress on. I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ He was, ‘How dare you?’ But hey, man, we got out of that.”

An event meant to celebrate Emmitt Smith’s career was nearly derailed by a backstage altercation, and yet, most fans never saw any of it. Johnston was reportedly auditioning to land a broadcasting role at the time, and he did join Fox Sports that same year.

So, to protect his professional image, Johnston made sure that his segment on that show never aired. But the tension didn’t seem to have affected Jamie Foxx much.

What was Jamie Foxx’s reaction to being confronted by Daryl Johnston?

While Daryl Johnston became the butt of the joke during the ‘Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Roast of Emmitt Smith Show,’ he might’ve felt like he was set up. As the personal attacks bothered him, Johnston did not hesitate to take it up with Jamie Foxx backstage, but the Oscar-winning actor apparently had no clue what was going on. 

“J, well, at first, he didn’t know if they were serious,” Joe Torry recalled. “So Jamie’s reaction was, ‘What?'” But yeah, he was hosting, so he had to go back. They had to calm that down and get him back on stage. They had to shut that down real quick because he didn’t. So, but you never saw that. I don’t know where that footage is, but you probably would never see it.”

Was Jamie Foxx simply caught off guard, or did he genuinely not see anything wrong with his approach in that event? Interestingly, Foxx didn’t just target Johnston that night. He also clashed with burgeoning comedian Doug Williams, who tried to roast him in return. But Foxx quickly flipped the situation by whispering cutting jokes into his mic, which included taking on the role of Williams’ conscience. Yet, according to Torry, when it came to Johnston, Jamie did much worse.

“The taping was the same,” Joe Torry added. “That’s what set Doug Williams up. So, they sacrificed Dave, but Jamie did much worse with Moose.”

Moreover, in hindsight, it feels like Johnston was put in a tough spot as he stepped onto a comedy stage without having the wit of a seasoned performer. And Jamie Foxx, being a dominant comedian, tried to make Johnston the butt of the joke to make the audience laugh. Ultimately, while roast culture thrives on discomfort, once that line gets crossed, as it did with Johnston, his backstage reaction revealed that the laughter can nearly turn into a fight.