Rapper and artist Lil Nas X has disclosed that he is experiencing a sudden partial paralysis of his face.
In an Instagram post from the hospital, he informed his 10.4 million followers that he has ‘lost control’ of the right side of his face.
‘This is me doing a full smile right now, by the way,’ he stated in a video, struggling to grin. ‘Bro, I can’t even laugh right.’
In a subsequent post, Lil Nas X reassured his fans that he was ‘OK’ and encouraged them to ‘stop being sad.’ ‘Shake ur ass for me instead!’ he humorously suggested.
In a third post, he remarked, ‘I’mma look funny for a little bit, but that’s it.’
His fans and celebrity acquaintances expressed their concern in the comments section.
‘Get well baby,’ actress Taraji P. Henson commented. ‘Sending you love,’ wrote Garbage singer Shirley Manson. Comedian Wanda Sykes added, ‘Sometimes your body tells you to sit down somewhere. Rest up.’
The 26-year-old, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, seemed to maintain a positive attitude despite his condition. In one video, he shifted the camera from the left side of his face to the right, joking, ‘We normal over here, we get crazy over here!’
The celebrity did not reveal the reason behind his ailment; however, fans speculated that it might be Bell’s Palsy, a neurological disorder that leads to facial paralysis, or Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which occurs when a shingles infection impacts the facial nerve near the ear, potentially resulting in auditory complications such as tinnitus.
Both conditions are generally temporary and can be induced by infections or stress.
Justin Bieber postponed several performances during his 2022 world tour after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.
In a video, he demonstrated to his fans that he was unable to blink his right eye, and although the symptoms lingered for a period, he ultimately made a full recovery.
Musician and television host Tulisa Contostavlos also experiences recurring episodes of Bell’s Palsy, which arose following nerve damage from a horse riding accident.
In 2020, she mentioned that an episode could last as long as seven months if she did not take steroids within the initial 72 hours.
Prior to his hospitalization, Lil Nas X was actively promoting his eight-track EP, Days Before Dreamboy, which serves as a preview for the eagerly awaited sequel to his debut album, Montero, released in 2021.
In an interview with Atlanta’s Hot 107.9 last month, he described the album’s development as a challenging process. He expressed, “At the top of 2024… I feel like I was very lost and trying to cater to everybody except myself,”
The artist, known for ‘Old Town Road,’ admitted that he initially focused on meeting what he perceived to be the world’s expectations, including “the need to be outrageous all the time”.
“But it’s like, no, sometimes I can just be on my chill [side],” he remarked.
During the GLAAD Awards last month, he revealed that he had recently declined a collaboration with Taylor Swift.
“We were working on something,” he shared with E! News on the red carpet. “She offered to let me try a verse on something, but I couldn’t catch a vibe for it, so it didn’t happen.”
