The Real Reason So Many Celebrities Are Diagnosed With Lyme Disease

If you're unfamiliar with it, Lyme disease is an illness that is transmitted from animals to humans by a tick carrying the Borrelia bacteria. These ticks can be found on different animals across the U.S., making people across the country ill after they get bitten by the small insects.

However, it seems like a large number of a certain population have been getting diagnosed with the illness, prompting some to wonder why so many celebrities have Lyme disease.

Does it have to do with access to better healthcare? Or maybe the fact that this group has the money to spend more time doing leisure activities that could get them exposed to ticks, like hiking and enjoying nature?

While people have many different opinions about what could be behind the number of celebrity illnesses, it seems like there may be a less sinister thing at play here.

An infectious diseases expert spoke to the Daily Mail about the phenomenon of so many celebrities getting diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2024, saying that there were a number of things at play.

First, he said they may have greater access to outdoor areas where ticks are known to live.

"If there is a rich and famous or class bias in this, it's probably because they spend more time walking around in wooded parkland, more money to go out to those areas, or have big homes with these sorts of places," Professor Paul Hunter explained.

Secondly, it could be a geographical thing as well, since many of these A-listers live in the U.S., where ticks are a bigger problem.

Additionally, their wealth and fame may give them access to doctors who are more likely to listen to their complaints and run a myriad of tests that can help identify what is wrong and rule out some other sources of their symptoms, which the Mayo Clinic says can include everything from joint stiffness and headaches to vision loss.

While there's no complete list of all of the celebrities who have received a diagnosis, some stars have come out and shared their struggles with their fans.

Ben Stiller, Shania Twain, Bella and Yolanda Hadid, Justin Bieber, and Justin Timberlake are just some of the A-listers who have shared their diagnosis with fans.

In fact, Timberlake even made a special announcement about his condition on his Instagram in July 2025, explaining how his health struggles had made life difficult for him behind the scenes.

His announcement prompted a flurry of speculation online, with people taking to Reddit to share conspiracy theories about why so many celebrities seemed to be receiving the same diagnosis.

One Redditor even suggested that it was a cop out and something that the rich and famous use to explain bad behavior, hinting that Timberlake was using this as a cover for his very public DUI.

But, while Reddit theories may be fun to think about, it sounds like the experts don't see a pattern that makes them think that the prevalence in Hollywood diagnosis is anything to be suspicious about and instead all amounts to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.