Donald Glover Says He Suffered a Stroke During 2024 Childish Gambino World Tour: ‘They Found a Hole in My Heart’

Donald Glover, on Saturday, opened up to fans as to why he canceled his 2024 New World Tour.

Glover, who performs under the stage name Childish Gambino, told fans during a performance at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw that it was a stroke that forced him to end his globe-spanning tour after just 18 shows.

“I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana, and I did the show anyway. 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 explained, per clips shared on social media. “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.'”

Glover added that not long after the stroke, he had another serious health scare when doctors discovered an irregularity in his heart.

“They found a hole in my heart,” Glover said. “So I had this surgery, and then I had to have another surgery.”

He continued, “They say everybody has two lives, and the second life starts when you realize you have one. You should be living your life how you want. If we have to do this again, it can only get better.”

Back in 2024, Glover released a since-deleted statement on X explaining his reason for canceling in more vague terms, sharing that he had an “ailment” that required “more tests” and a surgery.

“I want nothing more than to bring this show to the fans and perform,” he wrote at the time. “Until then, thanks for love, privacy, and support.”