Donald Glover Cancels Childish Gambino Tour Following Hospitalization

Donald Glover is prioritizing his health.

The Community alum—who makes music under the stage name Childish Gambino—announced the cancellation of his New World Tour after sharing he was hospitalized in September for an undisclosed illness.

“After my show in New Orleans, I went to the hospital in Houston to make sure of an ailment that had become apparent,” the Atlanta star wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) Oct. 4. “After being assessed, it became clear I would not perform that night, and after more tests, I could not perform the rest of the US tour in the time asked.”

The “This Is America” rapper initially kicked off the tour in Oklahoma City on Aug. 11 before postponing the North American dates weeks later, citing his “physical health.” He was scheduled to return to the stage Oct. 31 in France as part of the tour’s European leg.

“As of now I have surgery scheduled and need time out to heal,” the Grammy winner, 41, continued. “My path to recovery is something I need to confront seriously. With that said, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the North American tour and the UK and European dates.”

“I want nothing more than to bring this show to the fans and perform,” he concluded. “Until then, thanks for love, privacy, and support.”

The tour was first announced in May, ahead of the release of Bando Stone & the New World, Glover’s fifth and final album under the Childish Gambino moniker. Amid rumors he planned to retire the stage name, he told E! News in 2023 the alter ego wasn’t going anywhere.

“No, that was out in the ethos," he said at the time. “You don't have to worry about that. He'll be back. He's here right now.”

However, the Mr. & Mrs. Smith actor—who shares sons Legend, 7, Drake, 6, and Donald Glover III, 4, with wife Michelle White—seemingly changed his mind earlier this year, citing multiple factors in his decision including his family obligations, increasing film/TV commitments and the overall decline of album sales.

“It really was just like, ‘Oh, it’s done,’” he told the New York Times in July. “It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore.”