New footage from the set has left audiences speechless: Ryan’s face is so tense, his expression so strange that no one recognizes him. Comments are pouring in: “He looks like… a completely different person.” Messages online explode in panic — fans worry that something is terribly wrong behind the scenes. One person even exclaimed: “This isn’t a change — this is a transformation.” The question haunting the internet: What is Ryan hiding… and why are people afraid to speak up?

Ryan Seacrest has become a beloved media personality and developed a huge net worth over the past two decades as the host of two popular American TV shows, “American Idol” and “Wheel of Fortune.” However, an October 17, 2025, video posted on the “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” Instagram account has fans worrying about the star’s health and speculating that Seacrest has reached a low point in his transformation since “American Idol.”

The lighthearted post featured Seacrest and “The Hunting Wives” star Malin Akerman talking about the meaning of the term “mother” in fandom. But fans in the comments could only focus on the host’s seemingly thinner face and protruding cheekbones. “This guy is beyond skinny. You can see the bones in his face! Is he sick?” one user asked in the comments. While a lot of responses speculated about his health, some people thought Seacrest’s appearance was a result of a botched plastic surgery procedure or a very bad makeup job. “Ryan…the filler is no good,” another user wrote. Seacrest has never admitted to plastic surgery, though he has never denied it.

The “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” video is just the latest to have fans worried. Seacrest’s thin frame was obvious in a video he posted to Instagram about New Year’s resolutions to promote “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” The whole front of his body is visible in that video, so along with seeing the bones in his face, the dark blue fitted shirt he’s wearing under a denim jacket appears to be loose. “Love you Ryan but you are looking SOO thin!! Hope all is well..,” one fan wrote in the comments of that video, which also included prayers for the game show host.

Seacrest has spoken about his body image struggles

Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
It’s difficult to confirm whether Ryan Seacrest’s gaunt appearances are the result of plastic surgery, weight loss, or a serious health issue, but there are clues. Seacrest revealed a tragic detail about his life in 2018, when he told Men’s Journal that he struggled with his weight as a child, and the bullying he received still impacts him as an adult. He said he wouldn’t take his shirt off while swimming and vividly remembered shopping for back-to-school clothes in the “husky jeans section” of department stores. “I never want to feel that way again, and that motivates me to strive hard for balance without cutting anything that I truly enjoy, but while also knowing I can’t have it all the time,” he said, adding that detailed memories of secretly overeating as a kid drove him to stay in shape.

On a 2022 episode of “Live with Kelly & Ryan,” Seacrest confessed (via People), “I was teased for [being overweight], and I will always see that little boy when I look in the mirror. I cannot get past it, I’ve talked to our experts about it, but for some reason, I just cannot see that [healthier] guy.” For some, this may bring to mind body dysmorphia, which Mayo Clinic defines as, “A mental health condition in which you can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that appears minor or can’t be seen by others.” Seacrest’s fans are certainly hoping he has help and is okay.