Lil Nas X has revealed that he’s suffered from sudden partial paralysis in his face.
Today (April 15), the ‘Old Town Road’ rapper took to social media, uploading a video of himself in a hospital gown, laying in a hospital bed. The video, he’s seen laughing as he reveals that he’s “lost control” of the right side of his face.
He’s seen trying to laugh, but having the right side of his face stay still and expressionless. Lil Nas X is still able to partially move the right side of his lips, and his right eye but the muscles in his face currently seem immobile.
“It’s like, what the fuck. I can’t even laugh right, bro. What the fuck! Oh my god. So… oh my god, bro. So… yeah,” he added in the video.
In separate videos posted to his Instagram Stories, he’s seen to be in good spirits, joking about the undisclosed condition. He jokes in one video, panning from the left side of his face to the right: “We normal over here, we get crazy over here!”.
In a second Instagram Story, Lil Nas X clarified to fans that he’s “OK” and asked them to “stop being sad” for him, adding “shake ur ass for me instead!”. In a third post, he wrote: “Imma look funny for a lil bit but that’s it.”
Lil Nas X has yet to reveal what’s caused the partial paralysis, but fans are speculating if its Bell’s Palsy – an idiopathic condition, meaning an exact cause for the paralysis cannot be pinpointed – or Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a nerve issue that similarly causes facial paralysis alongside other side effects, including temporary hearing loss.
Lil Nas X in 2025. CREDIT: Amy Sussman/WireImage/Getty
Other musicians that have suffered from other Bell’s Palsey or Ramsay Hunt Syndrome include Justin Bieber, who revealed in 2022 that he suffered from the latter, leaving him partially paralysed in the right side of his face for some time. He has since made a full recovery.
Lil Nas X released the ‘Days Before Dreamboy’ EP on March 28 via Columbia Records. He launched the campaign late in 2024 with the ‘Light Again’ single, which was then followed by ‘Need Dat Boy’ in November and ‘Hotbox’ last month.
‘Days Before Dreamboy’ serves as a prelude album ‘DREAMBOY’, which has yet to receive a release date but is expected to arrive sometime this year.
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