Fans eagerly tuned in for the finale of American Idol Season 18 on Sunday (May 17).
Since social distancing measures were put in place, the show has been airing with host Ryan Seacrest, judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Ritchie and Katy Perry, as well as the contestants, doing the show from their respective homes.
In Sunday’s live finale (spoiler alert!), Just Sam was crowned the winner of the season. However, talk on Twitter following the episode centered on fans’ concern for Ryan, who, at one point in the show, exhibited some physical signs of what many initially believed was a stroke – he slurred his words, and seemed to have problems reading the teleprompter, plus one eye appeared larger than the other.
“Is @RyanSeacrest okay? Not making light of this. He went from normal to his speech being off and his eye shutting halfway,” one fan asked.
“As someone who has watched American Idol for just about the last 15-20 years, watching Ryan Seacrest in this shape really hurt my heart. I’m not sure what he is going through, but I sure hope he gets well soon,” another wrote.
“I think Something is wrong with Ryan Seacrest, BIG TIME. Did Anyone else notice his eye and the delay in speech?” one person tweeted.
“Honestly it looked like @RyanSeacrest had a stroke on national television and I’m genuinely concerned for him. It was uncomfortable to watch him at the end. Like what just happened??” a fan shared.
Fans became even more concerned when he didn’t come in for Monday’s (May 18) episode of Live With Kelly And Ryan – Kelly’s husband, Mark Consuelos filled in for him.
But, calm down, guys. According to his rep, Ryan didn’t have a medical emergency on Sunday – he was just really exhausted. In a statement issued Monday, his rep explains what happened Sunday night.
“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,” his rep said in a statement, per People.
After resting up Monday, Ryan returned to work on Live With Kelly and Ryan on Tuesday (May 19) and also addressed fans’ concerns over his health.
“I want to thank Mark [Consuelos] for filling in yesterday,” Ryan said live on the air. “He’s so good at it, also, all the very kind well-wishes for my exhaustion, working around the clock.”
Glad you’re feeling much better, Ryan!
