Donald Glover, 42, reveals symptoms he noticed before having stroke and doctors discovering hole in his heart
William Morgan
Featured Image Credit: Amazon Music
Donald Glover has opened up about the serious health issue he experienced last year that forced him to cancel a worldwide tour.
The 42-year-old actor, comedian, rapper, and filmmaker who performs as Childish Gambino disappointed fans from Ireland to New Zealand when he announced that he would not be continuing 'The New World Tour' as 'an ailment' meant that he would have to go under the knife and required time to heal.
But during a triumphant return to performing, at Tyler the Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival yesterday, Glover revealed to fans that doctors 'found a hole in my heart' after the Atlanta creator was taken to hospital following a gig in New Orleans, September 7, 2024.
Glover experienced severe symptoms, that he later discovered had been a stroke.
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"I had a really bad pain in my head, and I did the show anyway. I couldn't really see well," he told the crowd on Saturday night, as well as thousands watching at home.
With melodic guitar music playing behind him, he told thousands of fans packed into Dodger Stadium how the troubling news made him feel.
"I went to the hospital, and the doctor was like 'you had a stroke'," he shared, before joking that 'the first thing I thought was like, "Oh, here I am still copying Jamie Foxx,"' who also experienced a stroke.
He added: "That was only the second thing, the first thing was that I'm letting everyone down."
The Grammy-winner detailed undergoing two surgeries after the discovery of a hole in his heart, with the experience reminding him of the saying 'everybody has two lives, and the second life starts when you realise you have one'.
After the harrowing experience, Glover told the Camp Flog Gnaw crowd: "You should be living your life how you want. If we have to do this again, it can only get better."
Childish Gambino reveals that he had a stroke and a hole was found in his heart and is why he had to stop his tour pic.twitter.com/YxeQYBWDBA
— Dat (@DatDaDatty) November 23, 2025
Fans viewing at home flooded to social media in praise of Glover's 'where have I been monologue', with many saying his 'incredible' words moved them to tears.
Following the disappointment of his cancelled tour, Glover had even let fans decide on some of his set list, which went over well.
One said: "Childish Gambino really still got it man. One of the best and most underrated performers of the generation."
However, the set also raised fears once again that Glover might be giving up his Gambino moniker, after stating prior to his 'The New World Tour' that he was thinking of packing it in.
He told the New York Times that: "It really was just like, oh, it’s done. It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore."