Justin Timberlake has returned to performing for the first time since sharing news of his Lyme Disease diagnosis – check out footage below.
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Last summer, the singer shared news of his health issues on social media a year after his ‘Forget Tomorrow’ world tour had drawn to a close. Throughout the course of the trek, he faced numerous setbacks, including being criticised for lacklustre performances, the postponement and cancellation of several shows over illness and his infamous arrest for driving under the influence.
Taking to Instagram at the time, he said he wanted to “shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes”, adding: “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.”
As such, Timberlake hasn’t performed publicly since the ‘Forget Tomorrow’ tour wrapped in 2024, but on Thursday (January 29), he took to the stage once again at the Recording Academy Honours Black Music Collective event in Los Angeles to pay tribute to frequent collaborator Pharrell Williams.
01.29 | Justin Timberlake performs “Get Lucky” (Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams) and “Happy” (Pharrell Williams) onstage during the 2026 Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective in Los Angeles, California. pic.twitter.com/Ya6joLOLNT
— 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙮 (@jtimberlakepics) January 30, 2026
01.29 | Justin Timberlake performs “Beautiful” (Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams) onstage during the 2026 Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective in Los Angeles, California.
© recordexecutive pic.twitter.com/grVk0wJBw1
— 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙮 (@jtimberlakepics) January 30, 2026
Tyler The Creator & Tobe Nwigwe singing along to Justin Timberlake performing ‘Senorita’ last night at the Recording Academy Honors #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/c1Mbk6fwZv
— Blocky Timberlake (@timberflame) January 30, 2026
Pharrell Williams to Justin Timberlake in his Recording Academy Honors speech after he performed a medley of his hits to tribute the legendary producer.
“You reminded this [Black] community how much you love us so much and what we mean to you.”
🎥 iamshowcase #GRAMMY pic.twitter.com/XIhnnNd5WZ
— Blocky Timberlake (@timberflame) January 30, 2026
To pay tribute to the producer, the former *NSYNC member performed a slew of hits including ‘Senorita’, ‘Rock Your Body’ and ‘Like I Love You’, all of which Timberlake worked on alongside Williams, whose solo hits he also sang as a medley.
During Williams’ speech after being honoured for his contributions to culture, he praised Timberlake, saying: “You reminded this community of how you love us so much and what we mean to you.”
The performance follows a rough few years for the singer, who, in 2024, was forced to postpone six North American shows after being diagnosed with bronchitis and laryngitis, just weeks after he called off another show in Newark just hours before stage time due to “an injury that is preventing me from performing”. In December, he then cancelled a show in Oklahoma City after sustaining a back injury.
That year, Timberlake also pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, and called for fans to think again if they considered driving under the influence of alcohol. The judge sentenced the singer to a $500 (£380) fine with a $260 (£198) surcharge, and 25 hours of community service at a non-profit of his choice.
