Justin Timberlake wants his fans to know that he heard the social media backlash about his European leg of The Forget Tomorrow World Tour loudly and clearly. Still, there’s something else he needs you to know.

After wrapping up his final performance date on July 30 in Istanbul, Turkey, the 44-year-old singer revealed that he’s been dealing with a “debilitating” illness. The July 31 Instagram post began with a look back at his “two incredible years” on the road as he decided to ” write something from the heart” to all of his followers. 

While acknowledging that the tour has been “the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience,” he was also dealing with something serious offstage. 

“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,” Timberlake wrote in the caption. “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.”

“If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,” he continued. “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. I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or keep going and figure it out.”

Per the Cleveland Clinic, Lyme disease is “an infection that happens when an infected tick bites a human.The condition can cause joint pain. Antibiotics treat Lyme disease. Even after treatment, some symptoms may linger.” For Timberlake, he “decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling.” 

Even though he was “reluctant” to talk about his diagnosis, the former NSYNC star admitted that he’s “trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.” It’s likely that the TikTok videos that captured Timberlake’s weaker moments onstage were a direct result of his Lyme disease. 

European fans were critical when Timberlake seemingly continued to take a break while singing “Can’t Stop The Feeling” from the 2016 movie, Trolls. He let the audience do the performing while he half-heartedly did some dance moves. A Daily Mail insider claimed that the singer was “in a rut” and “needs to do something new” — but perhaps he needed to be honest with what he was going through. 

Medical privacy is important for everyone, but Timberlake’s revelation might have been better addressed while the tour was going on — his fans would have certainly been empathetic to the situation. Instead, they felt slighted at some concert stops, and it caused a whole buzz on the internet which could have been avoided. 

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