This week, Justin Timberlake wrapped his Forget Tomorrow tour. It’s been a little bumpy — Timberlake canceled a show at the last minute because of illness in February, and was recently accused by fans of phoning it in during a performance in Romania. On Thursday, he posted some reflections on Instagram — and shared that he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease.
“Among other things, I’ve been battling some health issues and was diagnosed with Lyme disease,” Timberlake wrote. “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.”
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According to the CDC, symptoms of Lyme disease — a tick-borne illness — include fever, headache, fatigue, and a rash, and the infection can get worse if left untreated. While Timberlake says he considered cutting the tour short, he decided “the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling.” Noting that he was initially reluctant to open up about his health issues, he said he was “trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.”
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So far, 2025 has been shaping up to be an especially bad year for ticks. Earlier this month, ABC News reported that emergency rooms have been seeing a spike in tick-bite cases. Apparently, that’s just one more thing we have to look forward to as the planet keeps getting warmer.
