Kehlani Hospitalized, Cancels Two Tour Stops After Sudden Swallowing Pain

Kehlani canceled two stops on her Kehlani World Tour this week after landing in the hospital with a sudden illness that left her unable to swallow.

The 31-year-old singer posted on Instagram Wednesday, Aug. 26, that she'd felt "completely normal" after two days off before things changed overnight. "I've been up all night unable to swallow & in so much pain," she wrote, according to USA Today. "I just left the hospital & am not cleared to sing for the next two shows. I'm so sorry."

The canceled shows were set for Aug. 26 at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey, and Aug. 27 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Both have been rescheduled: Camden moves to Sept. 5, Columbia to Sept. 6, according to the LA Times and the New York Post.

No diagnosis has been released. Kehlani hasn't said what caused the pain, and none of the coverage, including reports from Hindustan Times and the Express Tribune, includes further medical detail beyond her own social media statements.

There was a brief mix-up over the new dates. Ticketmaster's listing showed the rescheduled shows landing in 2028, not 2026. Kehlani addressed it directly on Instagram, per Hindustan Times: "Ticketmaster, which i have zero control over, has a typo that says rescheduled to 2028. they are rescheduled for when MY flyer states. which is like next week."

She says the tour picks back up as planned Saturday, Aug. 29, in Richmond, Virginia, at the Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront. Live Nation has confirmed Richmond as the next scheduled stop, according to Hindustan Times. The North American leg is set to run through early October, wrapping in San Francisco.

Kehlani had recently given a detailed interview to Billboard, published Aug. 20, about the routine she uses to manage a clinical bipolar disorder diagnosis, which she first disclosed publicly in April 2025 alongside a borderline personality disorder diagnosis, according to the International Business Times UK.

In that interview, she described medication, daily gym sessions, yoga, walks, time outdoors and prayer as non-negotiable parts of staying well on tour. "I have to have a routine supporting my wellness so I can freaking survive," she told Billboard. She also said she'd recently had sinus surgery after what she described as seven years of breathing trouble caused by blocked nasal passages, telling the outlet this tour would be the first where she could use her "breath to my full capacity."

No sources establish a link between that surgery and the swallowing pain that sent her to the hospital this week. The Express Tribune noted plainly that it's unclear whether the two are connected. Two health issues, weeks apart, with no confirmed medical link between them.

Managing a chronic condition with a strict routine doesn't guarantee immunity from an unrelated acute illness. She said as much herself: "I do everything I'm supposed to to ensure my health stays up to par & it still isn't guaranteed."

For ticket holders in Camden and Columbia, the practical outcome is straightforward: same venues, new dates. No refund process has been mentioned in any of the coverage beyond Kehlani saying her team was "working on a solution." Whether that solution involves automatic ticket honor-through or a separate claims process hasn't been detailed publicly as of this writing. Fans in those cities are left checking Ticketmaster and Live Nation channels directly, especially after this week's date mix-up, for confirmation their tickets will carry over to Sept. 5 and 6.