Why Ryan Seacrest Has Been Absent on ‘Live! With Kelly and Ryan’

TV personality Ryan Seacrest has been forced to take a few days off from “Live! With Kelly and Ryan” — and now we know why.

On Tuesday, Kelly Ripa revealed that Ryan had to await the results of COVID-19 test. The good news is that the results were negative, and the show's Instagram page noted that he “will be back tomorrow!”

In a video posted on Instagram, Ripa told the audience, “We have all of these new restrictions now, so this is one. We have to wait until he comes back negative before he can get in here. It's public health. We take it seriously."

A source told "Extra," “Ryan had a minimal cough, and out of an abundance of caution wanted to waited for a COVID-19 test to come back. It did and it's negative."

Kelly and Ryan returned to the “Live! With Kelly and Ryan” set in September. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they had been working remotely since March.

A few months ago, Ryan “decided to take the morning off” after “working late on 'American Idol.'”

When he returned, Ryan addressed his absence, saying, “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.'"

At the time, many grew concerned about Seacrest's health after seeing one of his eyes looking swollen at the end of an “American Idol” taping.Seacrest's rep shut down rumors that he had had a stroke, telling 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."