Lil Wayne’s ‘Embaled’ Appearance During Interview Sparks Concern About the Rapper’s Well-Being

Fans Defend Lil Wayne’s Swollen Appearance In Recent Interview, ‘He Looks Embalmed’

Lil Wayne is going viral yet again for his second seemingly bloated appearance in the last month. Fans initially expressed concern after noticing his fuller cheeks on Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed” talk show on Nov. 10, where he suggested the Lakers get rid of Anthony Davis to become a championship team.

Most recently, the “Young Money Radio” host was joined by fellow rapper Tyga to discuss the 2025 Super Bowl being held in his home town, New Orleans. They talked about their favorite NFL teams, and Usher’s upcoming halftime performance at the Super Bowl next February. Yet fans online seemed to only focus on Wayne’s face, which some say looks “swollen.”

Fans express concern about Lil Wayne's appearance on his radio show.

Fans express concern about Lil Wayne’s appearance on his radio show. (Photos: Screenshot of “Young Money Radio” /YouTube)

A clip from Wayne’s interview was shared by Hollywood Unlocked on Instagram, where a few fans claimed that “his cheeks were swollen due to a dental procedure,” although there has been no proof or record of Wayne having surgery. “Why he look like he hiding nuts in his cheeks?” said one viewer.

Another shocked observer said, “He looks embalmed. Good lord.” However, Wayne had plenty of supporters coming to his defense, including a few who suggested he had either gained weight or had “a piece of candy in his mouth.”

Per usual, a few unsavory comments were comparing the “A Milli” rapper to “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who also displayed a drastically different appearance leading up to his death in 2020 after a four-year silent battle with colon cancer.

“Be nice y’all. Remember how people talked about Chadwick,” said one person, while another wrote, “Y’all mean af. Didn’t learn nothing from Chadwick .. now if Wayne come out & say it got lupus or something else causing his face to swell up y’all gone be looking crazy.”

There were also comparisons to Florida rapper Trick Daddy, who has often gone viral for his seemingly bloated appearance stemming from his lupus diagnosis.

This autoimmune disease causes inflammation and pain in any part of a person’s body, according to Lupus.org. It can also cause tooth decay, which led Trick to replace his signature gold grills with pearly whites last April.

Wayne’s appearance also caused speculation about whether he was in his “sober era” and “getting thick” following a 2013 health scare. He had three seizures in a row that led to multiple stints in the hospital due to suffering from epilepsy.

The “Bring It Back” rapper said then that after one seizure his heart rate had slowed down to 30 percent, so despite experiencing seizures since childhood, his epilepsy appeared to be worsening in his adulthood.

Wayne has also blamed his epilepsy on stress, lack of sleep, and overworking himself as one of the GOATs in the music industry of the last two decades. Meanwhile, media outlets blamed his large consumption of alcohol, use of lean as well and his indulgence in marijuana.