Ryan Seacrest Denies Having A Stroke On TV, Says He Was ‘Exhausted’ From ‘Working Around The Clock’

Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest Denies Having A Stroke On TV, Says He Was ‘Exhausted’ From ‘Working Around The Clock’

“American Idol” host and TV personality Ryan Seacrest is opening up about concerns he suffered a stroke while on the national singing competition series. Viewers and fans noticed that his words were slurred and his eyes appeared to be swollen, sparking concern that he was having a stroke.

98% sure ryan seacrest had a stroke on live TV last night. he’s not on live with kelly this morning, either, which is…concerning pic.twitter.com/3j9R2bMbfm

— kim windyka (@kimlw) May 18, 2020

Fans quickly took to Twitter to react to the clip:

So like… I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV but did Ryan Seacrest have a stroke on national TV tonight? #AmericanIdol #AnericanIdolFinale pic.twitter.com/SuuOMlv0yS

— Whitney Spears (@WhitneyDuhrkopf) May 18, 2020

Is @RyanSeacrest okay? Not making light of this. He went from normal to his speech being off and his eye shutting halfway. #ryanseacrest #AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/9LCKTLjxpe

— M. Drake Krueger (@KingDraqula) May 18, 2020

What the hell is wrong with @RyanSeacrest ‘s eyes? Has it always been like this and i’m just noticing now..? ?#AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/KKVHatvmzr

— ? (@BBclips) May 18, 2020

.@katyperry .@LionelRichie please someone let us know if .@RyanSeacrest is ok, we all saw what looked like could have been a stroke/mini stroke (God forbid), bells palsy?..his right side drooped, eye swelled & he clearly had trouble speaking. Someone plz do a well check.

— lisa bz ????? (@lbloveslife1964) May 18, 2020

Watching #AmericanIdol finale and I think Ryan Seacrest just had a stroke. No kidding.

— CUBS PLEASE PLAY IN 2020 ? (@CubsIn16) May 18, 2020

While he wasn’t on his “Live With Kelly & Ryan” show Monday (May 18), he returned to the show Tuesday (May 19) where he thanked his fans for their well wishes and concerns.

He also thanked Kelly Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos for filling in for him during his absence. Ryan Seacrest at the start of the show said,

“I want to thank Mark [Consuelos] for filling in yesterday. I appreciate that. He’s so good at it. And also the very kind well wishes for my exhaustion. Working round-the-clock so I got a day off to relax. And here we are once again at it on Live.”

Before Ryan Seacrest’s announcement on Tuesday (May 19), his rep released a statement to PEOPLE magazine assuring fans he did not have a stroke.

“Ryan did not have any kind of stroke last night, 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-four on-air jobs over the last few weeks and he’s in need of rest, so today he took a well-deserved day off.”

What are your thoughts about the concerns surrounding Ryan Seacrest’s health? Voice your thoughts in the comments below.