Eric Stonestreet seemed to to be struggling on “Today with Hoda and Jenna” on Friday.
Cameras briefly cut to the “Modern Family” alum before a commercial as Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager teased his upcoming interview.
As the actor, 52, waved to the camera for approximately 10 second of air time, he appeared to wince in pain.
Stonestreet held a smile at first, only to drop it and take a deep breath as he continued waving.
The Emmy winner then closed his eyes, pursed his lips and scrunched his face together before resuming his strained smile.
Fans expressed concern via X, with one user asking, “Why was he crying before the interview?”
After the break, the co-hosts sat down with Stonestreet to discuss Season 2 of his Disney+ show, “The Santa Clauses.”
While Stonestreet smiled and laughed as the trio chatted during the pre-recorded episode, he appeared slightly more withdrawn compared to other press he’s done over the last week promoting the series.
Stonestreet talked about a wide array of topics, including his recent “Modern Family” cast reunion, his engagement to fiancée Lindsay Schweitzer and his costume prep for character Magnus Antas.
When the journalists ended the segment, Stonestreet appeared relieved as he looked around and sniffed deeply. The straight-faced star subsequently mouthed an unknown word while still on camera.
Although the talk show typically introduces the next segment while panning to Kotb and Bush Hager thanking their current guest, that was not the case this time around.
Hours after his segment aired on the show, however, the actor took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and assured fans that he’s fine. He claimed he was simply “doing a bit about having to wave at the camera awkwardly alone for 10 seconds.”
