Ryan Seacrest returns to work amid stroke concerns, blames 'exhaustion' for day-off

Ryan Seacrest came back to work two days after his fans expressed concerns about his health, and opened up about the "exhaustion" which required him to take a day off.

Ryan Seacrest, who left his fans worried over the weekend after they suspected him of having a stroke during the "American Idol" finale episode on Sunday, also missed the Monday episode of "Live With Kelly and Ryan" adding to speculations about his health. However, the TV host joined Kelly Ripa for Tuesday's episode and confirmed that he just needed to take a day off to "relax."

During the opening of Tuesday's show, the 45-year-old thanked Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, for filling in for him on the talk show Monday, and also said that the "Riverdale" actor is good at being a co-host. "I want to thank Mark for filling in yesterday. I appreciate that. He's so good at it," Seacrest said.

The popular TV host further thanked well wishes for concern about his health and said: "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."

At one point during the "American Idol" finale episode, Seacrest appeared to slur his speech and his right eye seemed to be enlarged, raising concerns about his health. He was hosting the show remotely from his home and appeared to be back to normal later in the episode when he announced Sam as the winner of the season.

However, his fans still suspected that he had a stroke on the show, after which his representative released a statement and said he was just "in need of rest."

"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," the representative told CNN in an email statement.

The rep also addressed Seacrest's absence from the Monday episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan," and said: "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."