Actor and comedian Jamie Foxx believes his personal life is the public's business.

The second-generation adoptee -- his mother was adopted as well -- is appearing on a CBS special in December celebrating adoptive families, and he's talking frankly about the relationship between private and public lives for celebrities in the spotlight.

"People want to hear the truth about celebrities' lives," Foxx tells PEOPLE. "They are intrigued. And I don't blame them. I'm just as intrigued about big celebrities like Jennifer Lopez.

"I was at lunch with Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise and Michael Mann yesterday," he continued. "We were debating where our lives intersect with the lives of our fans and how much we should share about ourselves and how much should we use our name and our fame to change the world. ... In the end, if I don't use my success for good and it's only about furthering my career, I will have failed myself and the people who raised me."

The people who raised him are exactly the point of the CBS special, "A Home for the Holidays," which -- in addition to Foxx -- features Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Enrique Iglesias and actress and adoptive mom Lauren Holly, among others. The hourlong show will air Dec. 23 at 8 p.m.

While Foxx praises high-profile adoptive moms like Angelina Jolie (whose son, Maddox, is from Cambodia), he urges would-be parents to stick closer to home.

"I could take you to some parts of the U.S. and you'd see kids and families in exactly the same bad situations (as in third-world regions) who need your help," he says. "We have to start at home. There are too many sick kids, orphaned kids, kids who have never gotten to open a Christmas present, right in our own backyard."