By Christi Carras

Los Angeles Times

Ryan Seacrest returned to TV on Tuesday after taking a “well-deserved” break that sparked social media concern earlier this week.

On Monday, Seacrest was absent from “Live With Kelly and Ryan” after working late on Sunday’s “American Idol” finale, during which viewers noticed that the longtime host seemed to have difficulty speaking.

Despite worrying fans — who falsely speculated that Seacrest might have had a stroke on air —the multi-hyphenate entertainer made his small-screen comeback Tuesday morning in good spirits.

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Seacrest said on “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” praising Kelly Ripa’s husband, actor Mark Consuelos, for taking his place Monday. “And also, all the very kind well-wishes for my exhaustion, working around the clock. I got a day off to relax and here we are once again.”

After the “American Idol” incident, in which Seacrest struggled to deliver a couple of his lines as one of his eyes appeared half-shut, a representative for the performer told People magazine, “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 statement continued.

“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.”

Ripa addressed Seacrest’s absence at the top of Monday’s “Live With Kelly and Ryan” show, explaining, “Ryan worked late last night on ‘American Idol,’ so he’s taking the morning off.”

On Sunday, “American Idol” crowned its first-ever at-home winner, New York City subway singer Just Sam, during the virtual broadcast. Despite the earlier hiccup, Seacrest was back on his game in time to unveil the season 18 champion.