Justin Timberlake reveals Lyme disease diagnosis, nearly ended tour early

WASHINGTON — Justin Timberlake revealed Thursday he’s been diagnosed with Lyme disease, sharing the health update with fans as he closes out his Forget Tomorrow world tour. 

“Among other things, I’ve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease -— which I don’t say so you feel bad for me,” Timberlake wrote on Instagram. “But to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes.” 

Timberlake said he is usually a private person, but felt fans deserved to know what he was struggling with on stage. 

“I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself,” he said. “But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.” 

It’s not clear when exactly Timberlake was diagnosed, or when he began experiencing symptoms. But Lyme disease is most often contracted in the spring or early summer, when immature ticks are feeding. 

Lyme disease is an illness caused by blood-sucking ticks, and is the most common disease spread by ticks in the northern hemisphere. 

The disease starts with an angry red rash, known as erythema migrans, around the site of the tick bite about a week after the tick latches on. While it’s typically not itchy or painful, around 80% of people who get Lyme disease develop this symptom, making it an early indicator. 

After the rash, symptoms include fever, headaches and tiredness. 

That’s the first phase, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Stage two can lead to worsening symptoms, the clinic says on its website.  

If the disease is left untreated, it can lead to joint pains, severe headaches, heart palpitations and the inability to move parts of the face. 

And the disease has a long life, causing joint pain and occasional shooting pains or tingling in the arms and legs for months or years after infection. 

Timberlake said in his Instagram post that he was suffering from a number of symptoms both on and off the stage during his world tour. 

“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 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.”

Although early Lyme disease infections are treated with antibiotics, there is no vaccine against the disease and scientists still don’t know much about its long-term effects. 

The CDC notes on its page about the disease that “the state of the science relating to prolonged symptoms associated with Lyme disease is limited, emerging, and unsettled.”

Timberlake has just completed the last show on his world tour. The Forget Tomorrow tour began April 29, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada and ended with his last show on July 30, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. 

After being diagnosed with Lyme disease, Timberlake said he considered ending the tour early. 

“I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out,” he said. “I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going.”