10 Surprising Celebrities You Didn't Know Had Lyme Disease

Diseases know no difference between rich and poor or famous and common folks. Officials have been ringing the alarms about ticks and avoiding getting bitten, especially in the summer months. Ticks carry a host of nasty diseases, including Lyme Disease. Incurable, Lyme Disease causes a host of symptoms that affect the joints, nerves, and even the heart and brain. If you do contract the disease, then you have some pretty famous company. Here are 10 celebrities you didn't know also had the virus.

10. Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake shocked fans by recently revealing he contracted Lyme Disease. He had been struggling on tour lately thanks to symptoms. "If you've experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you're aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically," Timberlake wrote. "When I first got the diagnosis, I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness. I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out. I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I'm so glad I kept going."

9. Ben Stiller

Back in 2011, Ben Stiller told The Hollywood Reporter about his Lyme disease. He said, "I got it in Nantucket, Massachusetts, a couple of years ago. My knee became inflamed, and they couldn't figure out what it was, then they found out it was Lyme. I'm symptom-free now, but Lyme doesn't ever leave your system. It's a really tough thing."

8. Shania Twain

Shania Twain says she was bitten by a tick while on tour in Virginia. She immediately developed symptoms that eventually affected her vocal cords, causing her muscles to spasm."[It] is very dangerous because you have a very short window to catch it and then treat it and then even when you treat it, you could still very well be left with effects, which is what happened to me," Twain told CBC. "It's a debilitating disease and extremely dangerous. You can't play around with it, so you've got to check yourself for ticks."

7. Kelly Osbourne

The daughter of the late Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, revealed in a memoir that she had been battling Lyme Disease for years. She got bitten after her mom bought a reindeer sanctuary back in 2004. She said that she was initially afraid to speak out about her disease.

6. Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin reveals that he suffers from the disease chronically, and it's affected him each year. "I got the classic Lyme disease (symptoms) for each successive summer, for five years, every August, like [these] black lung, flu-like symptoms, sweating to death in my bed," he said. "The first time was the worst of all. And I really thought, 'This is it, I'm not going to live.' ... I was lying in bed saying, 'I'm going to die of Lyme disease,' in my bed.'"

5. Daryl Hall

Daryl Hall had to cancel a tour in 2005 after contracting the disease. It's something that he's battled through the years, experiencing aches, tremors, and pains. "I got it the way everybody gets it," he said. "I've lived in the country for many, many years ... it's a hotbed of deer and other wildlife animals. I'd been bitten over the years so many times and I think it finally reached a critical mass and I crashed and burned about five years ago."

4. Bella Hadid

The model went public with her diagnosis in 2015. In 2023, she had to undergo health treatments for the disease. " ... I am okay and you do not have to worry, and 2:I wouldn't change anything for the world. If I had to go through all of this again, to get here, to this exact moment I'm in right now, with all of you, finally healthy, I would do it all again. It made me who I am today," she wrote. " ... I have so much gratitude for and perspective on life , this 100+ days of Lyme, chronic disease , co infection treatment, almost 15 years of invisible suffering, was all worth it if I'm able to, God willing, have a lifetime of spreading love from a full cup, and being able to truly be myself ... "

3. Amy Schumer

In an Instagram post, Amy Schumer opened up about her own diagnosis, "my first ever fishing pole. Anyone get LYME this summer? I got it and I'm on doxycycline. I have maybe had it for years. Any advice? Can you have a glass of wine or 2 on it? I know to stay out of the sun. I'm also taking these herbs from cape cod called lyme-2. Please comment or text me on my number in my bio. I also want to say that I feel good and am excited to get rid of it."

2. Justin Bieber