A droopy eye and slurred speech: Why people are increasingly concerned about Ryan Seacrest.

Ryan Seacrest is one of the hardest working people in Hollywood, juggling many high profile jobs and rarely taking a day off.

But there are concerns he’s been spreading himself too thin for too long, following a series of concerning incidents.

On May 17, 45-year-old Seacrest hosted the American Idol finale from his Los Angeles home during which he struggled with words and had a visibly droopy eye.

It led to fans expressing serious concerns for this health online, asking whether he was okay or had suffered a stroke.

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

I’d also like to point out Ryan Seacrests sudden change in speech, posture, and his eyes towards the end of the show… is he okay? Almost questioning a possible stroke or drunk? Could he have messed up the results? What is going on!!! #americanidol #ryanseacrest @RyanSeacrest pic.twitter.com/x8C9cX2yfF

— Alexis (@AlexisMelton3) May 18, 2020

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

Then on May 18, Seacrest’s absent from his co-hosting gig on US morning show Live with Kelly and Ryan caused concern at the show’s network ABC.

An ABC source told the New York Post some of the show’s production team were only made aware of Seacrest’s absence less than 30 minutes before they were to go live on air.

“It was a last-minute thing and there was a sense of panic at ABC when we were told that Ryan couldn’t make it that morning,” the source said.

Live with Kelly and Ryan is being filmed remotely, with Seacrest at his LA home and Kelly Ripa at her holiday home in the Caribbean, where she and her family have been quarantined since March.

“Ryan worked late last night so he is taking the morning off,” Ripa said on-air that morning, with her husband Mark Consuelos joining her last minute to co-host the show.

The speculation and concern forced Seacrest’s representatives to release a statement that same day, denying he had any form of stroke while hosting Idol.

“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 and he’s in need of rest. So today he took a well-deserved day off,” the statement said.

“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.”

 

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A post shared by Ryan Seacrest (@ryanseacrest) on May 10, 2020 at 5:40pm PDT

The next day, Seacrest went on air to explain where he was.

“I want to thank Mark 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.”

Live is scheduled to go on a week-long hiatus later this month, with New York Post sources claiming it couldn’t come at a better time.

“There are people at the network who are extremely worried that he is overdoing it,” said the ABC source.

Usually, Seacrest would travel a couple of days a week between Los Angeles and New York City, his main residence, but he has been at his LA home since the coronavirus lockdown hit.

American Idol would normally be recorded in LA, then he’d catch a red-eye flight to New York City to film Live and record his radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest.

He has been isolating with his on-again-off-again girlfriend Shayna Taylor.

Seacrest and Taylor, a 28-year-old model, chef and food blogger, have been together since 2017 but first met in 2013.

 

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Looking forward to the day we all get to embrace one another with open arms and emerge back into this beautiful world. For now, let’s cling to joy and look for the light in each moment ☀️

A post shared by Shayna Terese Taylor (@shaynateresetaylor) on Apr 4, 2020 at 6:00pm PDT

On May 1, Seacrest gave an insight into their turbulent relationship on Live.

“I just want to say, happy third anniversary to Shayna,” he said.

“It is our third time together. So we’ve gotten together, broken up, gotten together, broken up. This is number three of being together. So we’re celebrating as well.”

 

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Happy Valentine’s Day my love. Safe to say it’s never a dull moment being with you. Thank you for growing with me on this crazy journey of life. To many more years of happiness, travel, food and all our favorite things. Love you beyond the moon

A post shared by Shayna Terese Taylor (@shaynateresetaylor) on Feb 14, 2020 at 6:25pm PST

Ripa interjected to say it wasn’t their relationship anniversary.

“No, it’s an eight-year run, but it’s our third run together,” Seacrest explained. “So we celebrate each trial.”

Ripa joked, “You know, third time’s a charm.”

“Listen, nothing’s perfect. You just keep trying until you get it right,” he said.

“You know, when we drive by an amusement park, I always look at the rollercoaster and go, ‘Look, there we are. It’s all definitely upside-down loops. It’s no Thunder Mountain, it’s definitely the Mind Bender.”

Feature image: Getty/ABC.