Donald Glover speaks publicly for the first time about his stroke & the canceled Childish Gambino world tour.
Donald Glover suffered a stroke in the middle of the stage in 2024 – the artist behind the musical project Childish Gambino revealed this during his performance at this year’s Camp Flog Gnaw in late November. The stroke was the reason why he had to cancel his planned world tour.
At the time of the Childish Gambino tour, he had simply stated that he was struggling with an “illness” after a performance in New Orleans. He visited a hospital in Houston, where it was determined that he needed surgery. He then postponed the rest of his US tour, then canceled it completely and also canceled all dates in Great Britain, Europe and Australia. At the time, according to The Guardian, he wrote: “Unfortunately, my recovery is taking longer than expected.”
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Headaches, vision problems – and then the diagnosis
During his appearance at the Tyler, The Creator festival on November 22nd in Los Angeles, Glover finally admitted live that his health had been much more seriously affected than he had indicated at the time. “I was on this world tour,” he told an audience. “I had a lot of fun and really loved seeing you all there. I had a bad headache in Louisiana, but I still did the show. I couldn’t see properly, so I went to the hospital in Houston and the doctor said, ‘You had a stroke,'” Glover continued.
And then the Californian singer and actor tried a comparison: “My first thought was: Oh, now I’m going to imitate Jamie Foxx again,” he joked, alluding to Foxx’s stroke in 2023. “That was actually my second thought. My first thought was: I’m disappointing everyone. I know that’s not true.”
Other health problems: hole in heart & broken foot
Glover also revealed that doctors discovered a hole in his heart after breaking his foot, which is why he had to undergo surgery twice. “They say everyone has two lives, and the second life begins when you realize you only have one,” he said. “You have one life, people, and I must honestly say that the life I have spent with you is a great blessing.”
Donald Glover talks live about the stroke
Final album as Childish Gambino
The 42-year-old has so far won five Grammys as a musician. On July 19, 2024, his final album as Childish Gambino, BANDO STONE AND THE NEW WORLD, was released. At the end of his music project, he said: “It’s no longer fulfilling. And I just had the feeling that I didn’t have to continue working in this way anymore.” The tour, which ended abruptly due to his stroke, was supposed to have been his farewell tour as Childish Gambino.