Rapper Lil Nas X has stunned fans by revealing a Bell’s Palsy diagnosis, linking the sudden facial paralysis to his recent mRNA vaccination. The musician shared his condition from a hospital bed, describing a loss of control over the right side of his face.
In an emotional Instagram post to his 10.4 million followers, Lil Nas X showcased the severity of his symptoms, attempting a smile that failed to fully form. “This is me doing a full smile right now,” he said in a video, adding, “Bro, I can’t even laugh right.” The revelation has sparked widespread concern among fans and raised questions about vaccine side effects.
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BBC News reports: In a follow-up post, Lil Nas X reassured fans that he was “OK” and asked them to “stop being sad”.
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“Shake ur ass for me instead!” he joked.
In a third post, he wrote: “I’mma look funny for a lil bit but that’s it.”
In the comments section, his fans and celebrity friends expressed their concern.
“Get well baby,” said actress Taraji P Henson. “Sending you love,” wrote Garbage singer Shirley Manson.
Comedian Wanda Sykes added: “Sometimes your body tells you to sit down somewhere. Rest up.”
The 26-year-old, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, appeared to be in good spirits, despite his condition.
In one video, he panned the camera from the left side of his face to the right, joking: “We normal over here, we get crazy over here!”
The star did not disclose the cause of his condition, but fans speculated it could be Bell’s Palsy, a nerve condition that causes paralysis to part of the face, or Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, in which a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near the ear, and cause hearing issues such as tinnitus.
Both conditions are usually temporary, and can be triggered by infections or stress.
Justin Bieber cancelled several dates on his 2022 world tour after contracting Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.
In a video, he showed fans that he was unable to blink his right eye and, although the symptoms persisted for some time, he recovered fully.
Musician and TV presenter Tulisa Contostavlos also has recurring instances of Bell’s Palsy, which developed after she suffered nerve damage in a horse riding accident.
Speaking in 2020, she said that an attack could last up to seven months if she didn’t take steroids within the first 72 hours.
Before his hospital visit, Lil Nas X had been promoting his eight-track EP Days Before Dreamboy, which previews the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2021 debut album, Montero.
Speaking to Atlanta radio station Hot 107.9 last month, he said the album had had a painful gestation.
“At the top of 2024… I feel like I was very lost and trying to cater to everybody except myself,” he said.
The Old Town Road rapper said he had started trying to cater to what he thought “the world wanted from me” – including the need “to be outrageous all the time”.
“But it’s like, no, sometimes I can just be on my chill [side],” he added.
Speaking at last month’s GLAAD Awards, the star added that he’d recently turned down the opportunity to collaborate with Taylor Swift.
“We were working on something,” he told E! News on the red carpet.
“She offered to let me try a verse on something, but I couldn’t catch a vibe for it, so it didn’t happen.”