After criticism, Timberlake admits to illness: "I'm not saying to feel sorry for you"

Justin Timberlake shared a lengthy rant on Instagram, admitting to the public that he has a condition that limits his ability to perform his profession. The 44-year-old artist was diagnosed with Lyme disease (an infectious disease transmitted by tick bites).

As a farewell to the stage, after giving concerts in France and Romania, the singer revealed to his fans that it wasn't always easy to be on stage with the physical limitations that this condition can bring, but that he still decided to continue.

This sharing comes after the artist has received harsh criticism. Justin often chooses not to sing during his shows, leaving the crowd to fill in his iconic songs.

Furthermore, fans even wrote on the singer's social media that the show had fallen short of expectations, as there was little interaction and dedication on the musician's part.

Justin Timberlake's heartfelt outburst

"Now that these two incredible years are coming to an end, I wanted to write something from the bottom of my heart. It's not an easy task trying to contextualize the whirlwind of being on tour—but I'll try…

It's been the most fun, exciting, rewarding, physically demanding, and sometimes exhausting experience. I've been doing this for over 30 years [...]

As many of you know, I'm a pretty private person. But I want to tell you a little about what's happening to me.

[...] I've been battling some health issues and was diagnosed with Lyme disease—I'm not saying this to make you feel sorry for me—but to shed light on what I've been dealing with behind the scenes. [...] Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically. When I received the diagnosis, I was shocked, but at least I could understand why I was on stage with such intense nerve pain or simply fatigue and nausea.

Justin assures that after this diagnosis he considered whether or not he should continue giving concerts, saying that "he was happy to have continued".

At the end of this post, Justin thanks the audience, his team, and his family for their support, noting that he doesn't know what the future holds for his stage life. In February of this year, the artist even canceled a show after revealing he had the flu.

The musician had to make the decision at the last minute.

News to the Minute | 12:30 - 02/28/2025

Justin Timberlake has a vast artistic career. He began as a child on the Disney show "The Mickey Mouse Club," alongside Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and later joined the highly successful boy band NSYNC. When the group disbanded, Justin launched a solo music career and, alongside acting, has achieved several hits. "Cry Me a River," "Bye Bye Bye," "SexyBack," and "Mirrors" are some of his most famous songs.

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