Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 15:00 16 Apr 2026 GMT
Coachella headliner Justin Bieber has joined the long list of celebrities diagnosed with bacterial infection spread by insects.
Several A-listers, including Bella Hadid, Ben Stiller, Kelly Osbourne, and Shania Twain, have spoken openly about their experiences with the disease.
As you may have guessed, Justin Bieber has Lyme disease, a bacterial infection commonly passed to humans through infected ticks.
The ‘Daisies’ singer revealed his diagnosis in 2019 after undergoing a series of medical tests to trace the cause of extreme bouts of fatigue.
In the months leading up to the announcement six years ago, Bieber was subjected to rumours that he had a serious drug problem.
The misconceptions circulated after people on the internet jumped to conclusions after spotting the star looking unwell with blotches all over his skin.
In an address to his followers on Instagram, he said: "While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like s**t, on meth etc. they failed to realise I’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, not only that but had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health."
Reassuring his fans, he added: "It's been a rough couple years but [I’m] getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever."
In 2020, the father-of-one released a documentary about his struggles during his time away from music, called ‘The Dark Season’.
On the show, he told a doctor, “I've been struggling with my energy for quite some time now, and I just haven't known why.”
He then said to the camera: "I realised after a series of tests that I have what's called Lyme disease, which is a super silent disease that's not really very well known. It's very hard for doctors to test for it."
Speaking in the documentary, one of Bieber’s physicians at the time, an expert in the condition, Dr Erica Lehman, explained: "Lyme disease is the fastest growing bacterial infection in the United States right now.
"We know that it can cause a whole spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms - mood changes, irritability, depression, anxiety.
"Justin fits the picture of these symptoms."
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, around 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year in the United States.
It certainly seems that a high proportion of those who are diagnosed are celebrities, as swathes of A-listers have opened up about their experiences with the illness over the last few years.
