Carson Daly Candidly Opens up About His Anxiety Battle: “I’ve Been Nervous My Whole Life”

You're so brave, Carson Daly. The Today Show star got candid about his anxiety battle during the talk show on Friday, March 9. He specifically revealed he suffers panic attacks — and sometimes they hit him while he's on-air.

He shared that it all started when he was a young boy. "I was a worrywart kid. I was always worrying," The Voice host confessed. "My father died when I was five. I had an ulcer when I was in high school. I’ve been nervous my whole life."

Anxiety then followed Carson into his adult life. "I’ve had heightened anxiety and mild panic attacks at the playground with my own children and wife there," he explained. "The feeling was so gripping and so terrifying that I literally had to leave and excuse myself."

That said, Carson notes being in the spotlight isn't the reason for his anxiety. "People think, ‘Oh, he has anxiety. High-pressure life. You know, you’re on television,'" he said.

His first on-screen panic attack hit him while he was hosting MTV's Total Request Live years ago. "I had a hard time breathing," Carson confessed. "I was terrified for no apparent reason.” And it still really affects his body today. "At times I feel like there’s a saber-tooth tiger right here,” he said about the tightness he experiences in his chest. "And it’s going to kill me, attack me, and bite my head off. I’m scared as if that’s really happening. You feel like you’re dying."

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Carson still struggles with anxiety today while on The Voice and Today. "If you ever watch The Voice live on NBC, watch on a Monday or Tuesday night, I’m never still," he pointed out. "It’s the same thing with the Today Show in the morning. Some days I’m just a little anxious. I really wear the way I am like a badge of honor. This is who I am and I’m proud of it." And we're proud of you, Carson!