Justin Timberlake Reveals ‘Relentlessly Debilitating’ Health Diagnosis

Justin Timberlake revealed on Thursday that he was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, an illness caused by bacterial infection.

The “SexyBack” singer revealed the news in a social media post celebrating the conclusion of his Forget Tomorrow Tour and JT Live ’25 festival tour. “I want to tell you a little bit about what’s going on with me,” he wrote.

“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 –– but to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes,” Timberlake continued. “Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically.”

He said he was “shocked for sure” when he was first diagnosed, but that it at least helped make sense of times when he would be on stage “and in a massive amount of nerve pain” or feeling generally fatigued and sick.

“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 was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going.”

The 44-year-old said his decision to continue touring, despite the bad health news, helped prove his “mental tenacity” to himself and share in “special moments” with his fans that he says he’ll 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 aren’t misinterpreted,” he said, perhaps hinting at recent viral videos documenting a lackluster performance of his.

He concluded his message with a shoutout to his wife, Jessica Biel, and their two children: 10-year-old Silas and 4-year-old Phineas. “To Jess, Silas, and Phin… nothing is more powerful than your unconditional love,” Timberlake wrote. “You are my heart and my home. I’m on my way…”

According to the Mayo Clinic, “humans usually get Lyme disease from the bite of a tick carrying the [borrelia] bactera.” Symptoms from the disease come in stages. Stage 1 symptoms include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, joint stiffness, muscle aches and pains, and swollen lymph nodes. Stage 2 symptoms include rashes; neck pain or stiffness; facial muscle weakness; immune system activity in heart tissue that causes irregular heartbeats; back, hip and leg pain; pain, numbness or weakness in the hands or feet; swelling in eye tissue; and immune system activity in eye nerves that causes pain or vision loss.