Teary-Eyed Eric Stonestreet Winces In Apparent Pain In Bizarre Scene Just Prior To His ‘Today With Hoda & Jenna’ Interview

Eric Stonestreet stopped by Today with Hoda and Jenna this morning, and a particular moment captured on camera prior to his interview showed the actor in visible discomfort.

As spotted by Page Six, the actor — who was promoting the sophomore season of The Santa Clauses, in which he plays a “mad Santa” named Magnus — was waving to viewers as co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager introduced him prior to commercial break.

While doing so, Stonestreet’s initial smile faded as he pursed his lips and expelled a breath, eventually closing his eyes and attempting to smile until the cameras cut out.

When the three returned from commercial break, there was no mention of the moment, and the interview proceeded as normal, with Stonestreet rehashing the recent Modern Family cast reunion, which he told Kotb and Bush Hager “was fun.”

“That group of people hadn’t been together since we wrapped,” he gushed. “I hadn’t seen the kids since we wrapped, so it was great to see them.”

He also joked that “everybody thought Ty [Burrell] died” due to the framed picture they had of the absent Dunphy family patriarch alongside flowers.

“And we didn’t realize it at the time, but it did kind of look like a memorial,” he explained.

Eric Stonestreet is talking to Hoda and Jenna about his @DisneyPlus series “The Santa Clauses” @santaclauses, the recent ‘Modern Family’ cast reunion, his engagement and how he feels becoming a meme! pic.twitter.com/y3EKMrMEnW

— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) December 8, 2023

At the end of the segment — after delving into his 2021 proposal to fianceé Lindsey Schweitzer and discussing his role in The Santa Clauses — his smile dissipated, and he appeared to mouth something before the cameras returned to Kotb and Bush Hager.

Decider reached out to a representative for Stonestreet for comment, but did not hear back in time of publication.

The Santa Clauses is streaming on Disney+. Today with Jenna and Hoda airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC. Watch Stonestreet’s interview above.