American actor and musician Donald Glover, who performs under the stage name Childish Gambino, revealed during a recent concert that he suffered a stroke last year.
Speaking at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Glover explained why he had to cancel his New World tour shortly after it began in 2024.
“I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana and I did the show anyway,” Glover said on stage. “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.’”
Glover, 42, had postponed his tour about a month after it started in August 2024, and later cancelled the remaining dates due to health issues. Videos shared widely on social media showed him sitting on stage as slow music played, while he recounted his experience to the audience.
The actor and musician — known for his roles in Community, Atlanta, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith — joked that he was following in the footsteps of fellow actor Jamie Foxx, who suffered a stroke in 2023 that initially presented as a headache.
Turning serious, Glover told fans that learning about his stroke made him feel like he had let people down, especially as he had promised to perform in Ireland, which he has yet to do. Doctors also discovered a hole in his heart, which required two surgeries.
“They say everybody has two lives and the second life starts when you realise you have one,” Glover said. “You got one life, guys, and I gotta be honest, the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing.”
When he first postponed the tour in September 2024, Glover wrote on social media that he needed to focus on his “physical health for a few weeks” but encouraged fans to hold onto their tickets. A month later, he announced the cancellation of the rest of the tour, citing an “ailment” that required tests, surgery, and time to heal.
“As my wife says, which I love, ‘If this life is the flavour, as soon as I’m done, give me another scoop,’” Glover told the crowd, reflecting on his medical struggles and gratitude for his life and fans.
