Donald Glover cancels Childish Gambino tour over health concerns: ‘Need time out to heal’
Donald Glover has pulled the plug on the remainder of his Childish Gambino touring commitments to focus on his health, including an upcoming surgery.
The Grammy-winning “This Is America” singer and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” star tweeted Friday about the recent health concerns that have now led him to call off shows across Europe and Australia. The historic Emmy winner said he was hospitalized in Houston last month “to make sure of an ailment that had become apparent.”
He continued: “After being assessed, it became clear that I would not perform that night, and after more tests, I could not perform the rest of the U.S. tour in the time asked.”
Donald Glover, whose music alter ego is Childish Gambino, postpones the remaining dates on the North American leg of his tour to focus on his physical health.
In September, Glover postponed his New World tour — including several shows at Crypto.com Arena — “to focus on my physical health for a few weeks.” The “Community” actor was initially set to close out the North American leg of his tour earlier this week before heading overseas. Now, he says, “My path to recovery is something I need to confront seriously.”
Glover, 41,did not disclose additional details about his health concerns in his Friday statement. A representative for the multihyphenate did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for more information.
It was a “difficult decision” to cancel the rest of the tour, Glover said, adding that fans can get their refunds at the point of purchase. While it’s unclear when exactly Glover will pick up the pieces, he wrote, “I want nothing more than to bring this show to the fans and perform.”
The writer-actor-creator could substantially bolster his current career tally of 11 nominations with his series ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith.’
“Until then, thanks for love, privacy and support,” he said.
The New World tour — his first since 2019 — was poised to be Glover’s final hurrah as his musical personal Childish Gambino, under which he broke into the music scene. As Childish Gambino, Glover earned 12 Grammy nominations and won five prizes, four of which were for his pointed “This Is America.”
Glover released his final Childish Gambino album, “Bando Stone & the New World,” in July. A month prior, Glover revealed he was ready to move on and shed that chapter of his career. “It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore,” he told the New York Times.
Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover) released the ‘finished’ version of his 2020 album ‘3.15.20’ on Sunday as ‘Atavista’ and will take the music on a world tour.
He explained that the decision to retire his alter ego was partially influenced by becoming a dad. He shares a boy with wife Michelle White.
“When I put my son on my shoulders, I feel deep joy. That’s real,” he said. “No one on their deathbed is going to look back and say, ‘Thank God I avoided being cringe.’”
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
