Cody Johnson is on the mend. Johnson recently announced he is canceling the remainder of his 2025 Leather Deluxe Tour, and was instead having surgery to repair a burst eardrum. The Texan shares a new update on social media, revealing he is on the road to recovery.
“Just got home from my surgery in Houston. Got the nice little patch on my ear,” Johnson says, showing fans the bandage.
“Doctor said the surgery went great,” he continues. “Should make a full recovery with the proper rehab. I’ve got a lot of follow-up doctor’s appointments to go yet. I just wanted to say, thanks for all the texts, the calls, the prayer requests, all the good wishes. I’ve really felt the love. So, I’m gonna do my best to recharge. And I can’t wait to see you guys in 2026.”
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What Happened to Cody Johnson
Johnson recently postponed some shows while he was battling an illness. The 38-year-old now reveals that his sickness was much worse than fans originally thought.
“It is with a very heavy heart I have to share the remainder of this year’s concert performances will not be able to happen,” Johnson said when announcing he would not tour again this year. “While battling a severe upper respiratory and sinus infection, I burst my eardrum. The severity of the rupture means I must undergo immediate surgery. The healing process will take many weeks, and it is not possible for me to sing during this time.
“Without the surgery my downtime could be months,” he added. “I pray for full healing so I can get well and return to doing what I love. Thank you COJO Nation for the love and support now, and always.”
Johnson will hopefully be well enough to attend the upcoming 2025 CMA Awards, taking place on November 19, since he is nominated for four trophies. Johnson is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, the latter two for “I’m Gonna Love You” with Carrie Underwood.
Cody Johnson’s New Album
Johnson has a Top 35 single with “The Fall,” a song from his Leather Deluxe Edition record, written by Bobby Pinson, Ray Fulcher and Jeremy Stover. “The Fall” is the follow-up to his No. 1 hit, “I’m Gonna Love You,” with Underwood. Johnson is already working on a new album, one he can’t wait to share with his fans.
“We just got Album of the Year before the Deluxe came out, which was not intentional either,” Johnson says. “We were waiting. … I would say I’ve got a little bit of work for the rest of the year to get done with this record. I don’t want to talk a whole lot about it, because I’m still kind of playing with artwork and photography and the theme of this thing. I don’t want to ever do the same thing twice.”
Johnson hints that his next set of tunes will still sound like him, but will be a bit different than anything he has released in the past.
“I don’t want to go off the beaten path,” he says. “But I do want to do something just a little bit spicier. You’ve got to follow up. You hit a home run. Next time you come up to the plate, people are kind of expecting a homerun. And I feel that pressure. It’s a good pressure. That kind of pressure is a privilege to know that I’m in a position where I can really go hit it out of the park again. So definitely working on a new one already. I would say next year be expecting something.”
Photo Credit: CMA / Natasha Moustache