Luke Combs is opening up about his battle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Combs reveals that it is still a daily struggle, one he is constantly fighting to overcome.
“I don’t think it’s part of my success at all,” Combs says on Armchair Experience with Dax Shepard (via Rolling Stone). “If I just never had it, that would be awesome. There’s no good parts of it other than when you don’t have it.”
The North Carolina native admits it’s hard for others to understand how much he struggles with his OCD, which permeates every part of his life.
“It’s like a bird flying by,” Combs says. “You just go, ‘Oh, there’s a bird,’ and then you’re like, ‘What was that bird? Why did that bird fly by?’ And then the more you wonder why they flew by, the more it starts flying by,”
“Your brain’s like, ‘I need to send that thought again, because you’re worried about it and you being worried about it must mean something,’” he adds. “Really, it doesn’t mean anything. Then the more you think about it, the more it starts showing up.”
What It’s Like For Luke Combs To Have OCD
The father of two gets candid about how much his OCD affects him, including in his relationships with his wife, Nicole, and his young sons.
“It preys on everything you’re not, and it makes you feel like you are that,” Combs reveals. “In some ways, your deepest fear is being something that you’re not. That’s rooted in this somehow.”
Ironically, Combs’ diagnosis of OCD was a bit of a relief for him. He was first diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder as a teen, which is not as extreme nor specific as OCD. So to find out there is a name for what Combs was experiencing was a relief for him.
“Once I found the Pure O thing, it was like, ‘Oh my God. This is what I have.’”
Combs goes on to say that it causes what he calls “relationship OCD,” impacting his feelings about his own family.
“One of the themes of Pure O is like, do I really love my wife? Do I really love my kids?” he continued. “And obviously you do. You wouldn’t be worried about it if you didn’t.”
How Luke Combs Deals With His OCD
There is no cure for OCD, but Combs has found some ways to help alleviate some of the symptoms, including cutting out gluten from his diet, which reduces inflammation.
“For me, it was like, how can I just change what I’m eating, what I’m doing? Just everything,” Combs says. “My life revolves around preventing it. … It’s been something that’s gotten better for me.”
Combs gave up gluten more than a year ago. While it has helped him mentally, it’s also helped him physically, even though that was never the intent.
“Ever since eliminating that, man, it’s changed my life mentally,” Combs tells ABC News. “There was no intent of, I should try to lose some weight.”
Combs has taken much of 2025 off to spend time with his family. He is working on a new album, and hints he has a massive tour planned next year as well. Find his current Top 15 “Back In The Saddle” single, and all of Combs’ music and upcoming shows at LukeCombs.com.
Photo Credit: CMA / John Russell