Lil Nas X Recovering After Health Scare That Left Half of His Face Paralyzed

Lil Nas X is on the mend after a frightening health episode that temporarily left him unable to move half of his face.

The “Old Town Road” star took to Instagram on Monday night (April 14) to share a candid update with fans. In a video filmed from a hospital bed, the rapper revealed that the right side of his face was completely unresponsive. While attempting to remain in good spirits, he even joked mid-clip, saying, “I can’t even laugh right, bro!”

Though the nature of the medical condition wasn’t disclosed, the video alarmed fans who were quick to flood his comments with messages of support and concern.

Fortunately, Lil Nas X was discharged from the hospital by the following day. He later updated fans that although he was still experiencing some facial issues, there had been noticeable improvement. His face, he said, had started responding better, and he appeared to be in high spirits.

This unexpected scare comes as Lil Nas X continues to reflect on his impact on country music and the barriers he’s faced since his breakout in 2019 with “Old Town Road.” Despite the song’s viral success and clear country influences, it was controversially removed from Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Billboard argued at the time that the track did not “embrace enough elements of today’s country music.”

In a 2024 interview with BBC, Lil Nas X opened up about the disappointment he still carries from that decision. “I wish this would have happened for me,” he said, referencing the recognition Beyoncé recently received with her country album Cowboy Carter, which topped Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and made her the first Black woman to do so. “I wasn’t even able to experience this,” he added, acknowledging his support for Beyoncé but also his lingering frustration over being sidelined.

Interestingly, when Lil Nas X first uploaded “Old Town Road” to SoundCloud and iTunes, he had listed it as a country song. But after signing with Columbia Records, the label reportedly decided not to push the song to country streaming playlists, believing it would affect how he was received in the Hip Hop scene.

As he recovers from his health scare, Lil Nas X continues to push artistic boundaries. However, not without controversy—last November, he was called out for allegedly borrowing artwork for his “Dreamboy” project without much alteration, sparking another heated debate about creative originality.

Despite it all, Lil Nas X remains an undeniable trailblazer, navigating fame, expectations, and personal challenges with a sense of humor—and now, renewed strength.