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Donald Glover is opening up about a recent health scare that forced him to cancel his tour last year.
At the time, he described it as an “ailment,” but Glover said on Saturday night at a performance that a doctor told him he’d had a stroke.
Glover, who performs under the moniker Childish Gambino, shared the information on stage at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw music festival in Los Angeles. His remarks were shared widely on social media.
“You guys voted for a ‘where have I been monologue,’” Glover, 42, said. “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.’”
The artist initially postponed his tour dates in September 2024, before cancelling the remainder of his U.S., U.K. and European stops to focus on his health.
At the time, Glover said it had become clear that his health was something he needed "to confront seriously," which required a cancellation rather than postponing the dates.
LISTEN | As Childish Gambino retires, how will we remember his music?:Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud25:00Childish Gambino's new album, and a look at Donald Glover's career
Elamin is joined by culture critics Ian Kamau, Sarah-Tai Black, and David Dennis Jr. to react to the latest and reportedly final album from Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover), and also talk about the longstanding criticisms surrounding him.Glover said he felt like he was letting everyone down, lamenting that he still hasn’t been to Ireland. He also revealed that “they found a hole” in his heart and he had to have two surgeries.
“They say everybody has two lives and the second life starts when you realize 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.”
The tour was supposed to be a farewell tour to Glover's Childish Gambino persona, after he previously announced he was retiring the alter ego and that his fifth studio album under the moniker — Bando Stone and the New World — would be his last.
His representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.