Luke Combs Opens Up About Severe OCD Flare-Up Before Australian Performance
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Country star shares details about his struggles with intrusive thoughts and hopes to help others
Luke Combs recently revealed that he experienced one of his worst obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) flare-ups before a March performance in Australia, calling the experience “wicked” and “all-consuming.”
Speaking to 60 Minutes Australia, the 35-year-old country singer explained that his form of OCD is thought-based rather than physical, manifesting as relentless, intrusive thoughts that cause significant stress.
“Probably the worst flare-up of it I’ve had in, I would say three or four years, started about two days before this trip,” Combs said. “The first two weeks for me here were not ideal due to a lot of rumination and OCD stuff.”
Unlike compulsions such as flicking light switches or washing hands, Combs’ OCD revolves around repetitive thoughts that he struggles to control. “You’re trying to get rid of [the thoughts], but trying to get rid of them makes you have more of them,” he explained. “It’s really complex and really detailed … It’s very tedious to pull yourself out of it.”
Living with OCD and Raising Awareness
Combs first noticed symptoms around the age of 12 or 13, and he hopes to use his platform to help young people dealing with similar struggles.
“I definitely want to spend some time, at some point in my life, doing some outreach to kids that deal with this, because it held me back so many times,” he said. “You’re trying to accomplish something, you’re doing really great, and then you have a flare-up and it ruins your whole life for six months — and then you’re back to where you started.”
Despite the challenges, Combs has learned how to manage his symptoms over the years. “I feel for people that struggle … anyone with OCD, really, but the variant that I have is particularly wicked,” he said.
Looking beyond his musical success, the CMA winner hopes his openness about OCD will inspire others. “That’s something that I hope people take away from me at the end of my career. I want to be an example for those kids that don’t have any hope — that you can still go on and do great things, even though you’re dealing with something really tough.”