Justin Timberlake, who just wrapped his world tour Wednesday, revealed he has been battling Lyme disease.
He said he decided to share his diagnosis “to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes.”
Timberlake posted the message after he received backlash online from fans who attended the Electric Castle festival in Romania this month. In TikTok videos posted by several attendees, Timberlake tells the crowd to “sing, c’mon,” while he performs his hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” Some expressed disappointment at the performance, commenting that they felt Timberlake “barely sang.”
“If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,” he said Thursday on Instagram.
Timberlake said that his diagnosis came as a shock but that it explained why he would experience “a massive amount of nerve pain,” fatigue or sickness while he was performing. He kicked off his Forget Tomorrow World Tour in April 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and wrapped Wednesday in Turkey.
He said he weighed the decision to stop the tour but ultimately “decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling.”
“I’m so glad I kept going,” he continued, saying the tour has been “the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience.”
“Not only did I prove my mental tenacity to myself but, I now have so many special moments with all of you that I will never forget,” he said. “I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself. But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.”
After Timberlake revealed his diagnosis, many fans expressed their support in the comments. “Rooting for your healing familia, massive of you to forge ahead in the midst of it all for the love of the music and your audience,” fellow artist Miguel wrote.
Lyme disease is spread to people through the bite of blacklegged ticks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache and a skin rash. It can spread to the heart, joints and nervous system if it is left untreated.