In a deeply personal Instagram message, Justin Timberlake revealed he has been quietly battling Lyme disease during his 2024-25 ‘Forget Tomorrow World Tour.’
Full story below…
The 44-year-old explained that the diagnosis finally helped him make sense of the “massive amount of nerve pain” and extreme fatigue he experienced on stage. Rather than cancel the shows, he chose to keep performing, asserting that the joy of being on stage outweighed the physical toll.
Timberlake said he struggled with where to open up, but ultimately wanted to shed light on his invisible illness and foster empathy for others facing similar battles. His announcement comes amid criticism of recent performances, with some fans labelling his energy as lazy, a view now contextualized by his health struggles.
This diagnosis aligns him with fellow celebs like Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne, who’ve also spoken out about Lyme disease.
Read his full post below:
View this post on Instagram
“Well, as these two incredible years come to an end and I look forward to the future, I wanted to write something from the heart. Itās not an easy task to try to contextualize the whirlwind of touring āā but, I will tryā¦
This has been the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience. I have been doing this for 30+ years (which feels crazy to say) āā and have given all that I have to this. I could not have done it without my family, friends, The TN Kids, and all of YOUR support.
As many of you know, Iām a pretty private person. But as Iām reflecting on the tour and festival tour ā I wantĀ to tell you a little bit about whatās going on with me.
Among other things, Iāve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease -ā which I donāt say so you feel bad for me āā but to shed some light on what Iāve been upĀ against behind the scenes. If youāve experienced this disease or know someone who has ā then youāre aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically. When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness. I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out. I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body wasĀ feeling. Iām so glad I kept going.
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. 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 arenāt misinterpreted.
Sharing all of this with the hope that we can all find a way to be more connected. Iād like to do my part to help others experiencing this disease too.”
You still canceled b****
stfu karen. Die Bit c h ! would you?
KYS Ling. The world would be a better place without you š
Not only is he not Usher, but now he has to deal with this. That sucks. Getting stung by a bunch of africanized bees is the cure nobody knows about. I hope he finds his way.
Poor handsome daddy! Take some rest and you will be fine. It’s a shame that there were only 2 singles from last album. The album is full of bops, like f up the disco, play, infinity s e x , my favorite drug, Flame & Imagination.
Okā¦ and?!
Go take some antibiotics and stfu!
Stop trying to garner sympathy cause you weak lil biotch who just whines all the timeā¦ his singing is just whining and his face just looks like all he does is whine! š£