Justin Timberlake performs during BottleRock in Napa on May 24, 2025. On Thursday, July 31, the pop superstar revealed he’d battled Lyme disease during his two-year world tour, which included a headlining set at BottleRock Napa Valley.
Benjamin Fanjoy/For the S.F. Chronicle
Pop superstar Justin Timberlake disclosed that he has been battling Lyme disease — a revelation he shared with fans in an Instagram post marking the end of his two-year Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which included stops at BottleRock Napa Valley and San Jose’s SAP Center.
“This has been the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience,” Timberlake wrote in the post on Thursday, July 31. “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.”
Reflecting on the demanding schedule that took him across continents, Timberlake explained that symptoms including “massive nerve pain,” “crazy fatigue” and illness plagued him throughout the tour. Last September, the former NSYNC member also pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in New York’s Hamptons earlier in 2024.
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The diagnosis, the 44-year-old Memphis native said, finally gave a name to what he had been enduring.
Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted through tick bites, can be severely debilitating if left untreated. Though most cases respond to antibiotics, lingering symptoms are not uncommon.
Timberlake, best known for hits such as “Cry Me a River” and “SexyBack,” admitted he considered ending the tour early but chose to persevere.
“I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going,” he wrote. “Not only did I prove my mental tenacity to myself but, I now have so many special moments with all of you that I will never forget.”
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Known for maintaining a low profile offstage, Timberlake said he felt compelled to open up.
“I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself,” he wrote. “But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.”
Timberlake added, “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.”
He closed the post with a message of gratitude to fans, his band, wife Jessica Biel and their two sons.
“My heart is filled with gratitude!” Timberlake wrote. “Love each other. Be good to each other. Don’t take it for granted. To Jess, Silas, and Phin… nothing is more powerful than your unconditional love. You are my heart and my home. I’m on my way.”
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Justin Timberlake performs during BottleRock in Napa on May 24, 2025. On Thursday, July 31, the pop superstar revealed he’d battled Lyme disease during his two-year world tour, which included a headlining set at BottleRock Napa Valley.
Benjamin Fanjoy/For the S.F. Chronicle
With no clear word on future performances, Timberlake hinted at a pause — but not an end — to his time onstage.
“I honestly don’t know what my future is onstage but I’ll always cherish this run!,” he wrote. “And all of them before! It’s been the stuff of LEGEND for me.”
Timberlake launched his Forget Tomorrow tour in April 2024, roughly a month after releasing his album “Everything I Thought It Was.” By late May, when he headlined BottleRock, the tour had propelled him to the No. 10 spot on Billboard’s midyear Boxscore report, with a reported $73.2 million gross across 41 performances.
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He joins a growing list of artists — including Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, and Justin Bieber — who have publicly shared their own battles with Lyme disease.
