Ryan Seacrest returned to the airwaves this week after his appearance on the finale of “American Idol” prompted concerns for his health.
The Emmy-winning TV host returned to ABC’s “Live with Kelly and Ryan” Tuesday, reassuring fans that all was well.
“I want to thank Mark [Consuelos] for filling in yesterday,” he told co-host Kelly Ripa. Without delving into specifics, Seacrest went on to thank fans for “all the very kind well-wishes for my exhaustion working around the clock.”
Seacrest, 45, set tongues wagging when he appeared to slur his words during the season finale of “American Idol,” which aired Sunday.
The moment drew a flurry of responses on Twitter, with many fans commenting that one of Seacrest’s eyes seemed to droop at one point in the broadcast.
Others went even further, suggesting Seacrest may have had an on-air stroke.
His absence from Monday’s installment of “Live with Kelly and Ryan” did little to ease those concerns. By the afternoon, however, Seacrest’s representative denied the speculation, saying the host had simply needed to take “a well-deserved day off.”
“Ryan did not have any kind of stroke last night,” the representative said in a statement to People. “Like many people right now, Ryan is adjusting to the new normal and finding work-home balance, with the added stress of having to put on live shows from home.”
“Between ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan,’ ‘American Idol,’ ‘On Air with Ryan Seacrest,’ and the Disney Family Singalong specials, he has been juggling three to four on-air jobs over the last few weeks,” the statement continued. “He’s in need of rest.”