Donald Glover is opening up about the health crisis that abruptly ended his New World Tour last year — and why returning to the stage now means more than ever.
Performing at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival over the weekend, Glover told the crowd that the “ailment” he vaguely referenced in 2024 was far more serious than fans knew. The artist, who performs as Childish Gambino, revealed that he suffered a stroke during the tour.
“I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana, and I did the show anyway,” he told the audience during a monologue that streamed on Amazon Music. “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 admitted that his first thoughts were fear and pressure — not just for his health, but for the people he felt he was letting down. He also joked about the similarities to Jamie Foxx’s recent medical scare.
From there, the health issues continued to stack up. After postponing the tour last September to “focus on my physical health for a few weeks,” Glover ultimately canceled the remainder a month later. Onstage Saturday, he explained why: not only did he break his foot, but doctors also found “a hole in my heart,” leading to one surgery — and then another.
“They say everybody has two lives, and the second life starts when you realize you have one,” he said. “You got one life, guys. And I’ve gotta be honest, the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing.”
Now healthy enough to perform again, Glover delivered a fan-curated hour-long set at the festival — marking his first major return since the health scare. The moment also arrives as he gears up to revive two beloved roles: Troy Barnes in the long-awaited Community movie and Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Star Wars project.
Last year, Glover also revealed that he plans to retire the Childish Gambino moniker, telling The New York Times that fatherhood and personal evolution inspired the decision: “It’s not fulfilling… you give what you can, but there’s beauty everywhere in every moment.”
For now, Glover’s focus is clear — health, gratitude, and living in the present.