Donald Glover Opens Up About Health Struggles and Tour Cancellation

Donald Glover revealed he canceled the remaining dates of his “New World Tour” last year after experiencing a stroke during a live performance. The comedian/singer shared the story during his Saturday set at the Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles, where he performed as Childish Gambino and described a series of health challenges he faced while touring.

Glover recounted the episode beginning with sudden, severe head pain during a show in Louisiana, noting he completed the performance despite the symptoms and traveled to Texas, where he was prompted to seek medical care. “I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana and I did the show anyway,” he said, according to video of the concert on social media. “I couldn’t really see well, so when we went to Houston I went to the hospital and the doctor was like, ‘You had a stroke,'” he continued. “And the first thing I thought was like, ‘Oh, here I am still copying Jamie Foxx.’ That’s really like the second thing. The first thing was like, ‘I’m letting everybody down.'”

The 42-year-old mentioned the diagnosis was only one of several serious complications he faced during that time. He told the crowd he also broke his foot and later learned doctors found a hole in his heart, requiring a procedure and a second surgery soon after. Glover used his experiences to encourage the audience to focus on personal priorities and not delay life decisions. “You got one life, guys. And I gotta be honest, the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing,” he said. “You should be living your life how you want. If we have to do this again, it can only get better.”

Glover has performed as Childish Gambino for more than a decade, releasing six albums and earning five Grammy Awards. Last year, he said he planned to retire the moniker. “It really was just like, ‘Oh, it’s done,'” he told The New York Times. “It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore.” He added at the time that age and perspective were influencing his decisions. “I’m not 25 anymore, standing in front of a boulder like, ‘This has to move.’ You give what you can, but there’s beauty everywhere in every moment,” he said. “You don’t have to build it. You don’t have to search for it.” Glover also linked the transition to fatherhood. “When I put my son on my shoulders, I feel deep joy,” he said. “That’s real. No one on their deathbed is going to look back and say, ‘Thank God I avoided being cringe.'”