Instagram
After Justin Timberlake took to the stage in Paris towards the end of his Forget Tomorrow world tour, it opened the floodgates to a storm of criticism.
Footage of the star not singing, and instead clapping and encouraging the crowd to sing for him went viral in July 2025, with one brutal social media response declaring, “this performance could have been an email”.
It wasn’t the first time Justin, who is married to actress Jessica Biel, had been slammed for appearing disengaged in his performances, with a similar incident in Romania sparking backlash.
“Justin Timberlake is the Airbnb of concerts. At Airbnb, you pay a cleaning fee but still do the cleaning. At his concert, you pay for a ticket but still do the singing,” one viral response quipped.
But on August 1, shortly after his tour had concluded, Justin took to Instagram to share a lengthy statement, revealing he had been battling a shock diagnosis behind the scenes.
“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. It’s not an easy task to try to contextualize the whirlwind of touring –– but, I will try…” he told his 72 million Instagram followers.
“This has been the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience,” he wrote, of the tour. “I have been doing this for 30+ years (which feels crazy to say) –– 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, I’m a pretty private person. But as I’m reflecting on the tour and festival tour – I want to tell you a little bit about what’s going on with me,” he went on.
Does Justin Timberlake have Lyme disease?
“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.”
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans through the bite of an infected tick. Other well-known sufferers have included singers Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne and Shania Twain.
Justin went on to say that living with the condition could 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,” he wrote. “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.”
Justin said that in doing so he proved his “mental tenacity” to himself and was able to share “special moments” with his audience.
“I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself,” he concluded. “But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.
“Sharing all of this with the hope that we can all find a way to be more connected. I’d like to do my part to help others experiencing this disease too.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
