The Justin Timberlake music superstar has received a diagnosis of Lyme disease.
The songwriter and actor-interpreter shared the diagnosis with his fans in an Instagram publication Thursday who thought about the conclusion of his two-year world tour forget Tomorrow.
“As many of you know, I am a fairly private person. But as I think about the tour of the festival – I want to tell you a little what’s going on with me,” wrote Timberlake.
The singer, who shares two sons with his wife Jessica Biel, wrote that he hesitated to share his diagnosis but decided to do it in the hope of being more transparent with his fans.
“If you have known this disease or know someone who did it – then you know: living with this can be implacally debilitating, both mentally and physically,” wrote Timberlake. “When I obtained the diagnosis, I was shocked for the first time. But, at least I could understand why I would be on stage and in a massive quantity of nervous pain or, I simply feel a crazy fatigue or a disease. I was confronted with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, continue and understand it. I decided that the joy that reduces me.”
Justin Timberlake performed on stage during the 5th Lollapalooza Paris festival, July 20, 2025, in Paris.
Lyvans Boolaky / Wireimage / Getty Images
Lyme disease is an infectious disease transmitted by ticks which, if not treated, can affect the joints, the heart and the nervous system, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.
Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated effectively with an antibiotic course from 10 to 14 days. However, in some cases, prolonged symptoms may persist after treatment, including fatigue, body pain and concentration or memory difficulties. This condition is sometimes called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, or PTLD.
Timberlake, 44, has not shared more details on his diagnosis or treatment.
The former member * NSYNC launched his World Outor Tomorrow tour in April and presented his latest program on Wednesday in Türkiye on Wednesday.
In February, Timberlake canceled his last American show on the tour a few hours before he was ready to go on stage in Columbus, Ohio, telling fans on the social networks he was fighting against flu.
More recently, Timberlake faced fans on the European leg of his tour, who accused him of singing too much of his songs live during his performance, and rather called the crowd to sing the words.
By publicly revealing his diagnosis of Lyme disease, Timberlake wrote on social networks that he was happy to have continued his tour, despite the health difficulties he had been confronted with.
“Not only did I prove myself my mental tenacity, but I now have so many special moments with you all that I will never forget,” he wrote. “I was reluctant to talk about it because I have always been raised to keep something like that for you. But I try to be more transparent about my difficulties so that they are not ill -interpreted.”
What to know about Lyme disease
Timberlake is not the only one to combat Lyme disease, the most common vector transmission disease in the United States, according to the CDC.
The other celebrities who spoke publicly about their difficulties with the disease are the actress Amy Schumer, the singers Shania Twain and Justin Bieber and the co-founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian.
The disease, caused by the bacteria Borrelia Burgdorferi, is transmitted to humans by tick stings and is more likely to be contracted at the end of spring, summer and autumn. In most cases, the tick must be attached to the skin for at least 24 hours before the transmission of the bacteria.
Symptoms appear from three days after the tick bite and include fever, headache and fatigue.
Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics in 10 to 14 days. If it is not treated, a wide range of symptoms can develop depending on the stage of infection, including fever, rashes, facial paralysis, irregular heart rate and arthritis.
Lyme disease is most often in the northeast and the top of the midwest.
The CDC recommends preventive measures such as processing your clothes and gears with products containing 0.5% permethrin. They also recommend making a “tick check” after being outside and carrying an insectuge with Deet.
Ticks can also enter the house thanks to clothing and pets, so the CDC recommends checking the pets of ticks and soding clothes over high heat for 10 minutes after coming inside to kill ticks.
If you are in a situation where you are bitten by a tick, the CDC recommends pull gently but firmly near the head of the tick until it is removed from the skin.
People who are outside in areas that may have ticks should also perform a complete body control when they return, including verification under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the navel, behind the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs and around the waist, says the CDC.
