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Ryan Seacrest is known for hosting the popular televised competition 'American Idol,' the annual TV special 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve' and the radio program 'American Top 40.' In 2017, he became co-host of 'Live with Kelly & Ryan.'

Who Is Ryan Seacrest?

Born in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia, Ryan Seacrest decided on a career in radio early in life. In the mid-1990s, Seacrest moved to Los Angeles, California, where he started a popular afternoon radio show. His career really took off when he became a host of American Idol in 2002, and three years later he joined the annual telecasts of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Seacrest, who continues to serve as a producer and on-air personality in various capacities, joined Kelly Ripa to begin co-hosting Live with Kelly & Ryan in 2017.

Early Life

Born on December 24, 1974, in Atlanta, Georgia, popular radio and television personality Ryan John Seacrest has also become a powerhouse behind the scenes as a producer of such reality TV hits as Keeping Up with the Kardashians. He showed an interest in becoming a radio disc jockey at an early age. Seacrest listened to such DJs as Casey Kasem and Rick Dees growing up, studying and copying the way they talked during their shows. American Bandstand host Dick Clark was another important early influence.

At Dunwoody High School, Seacrest "wore braces and glasses and was fat and got teased about it," he once explained to the New York Times. "But I was always very ambitious." His first broadcasting job was handling announcements at the school. Seacrest then managed to land an internship at an Atlanta radio station, which led to his first on-air gig. He stayed with the station while attending the University of Georgia.

Radio Star

In the mid-1990s, Seacrest relocated to Los Angeles. There, he launched a popular afternoon radio show called Ryan Seacrest for the Ride Home, which lasted until 2004. In 2003, Seacrest started a syndicated program, On Air with Ryan Seacrest. The following year, he took over for one of his idols, Casey Kasem, as host of American Top 40.

Despite becoming a television star and producer, Seacrest continues to be a presence in radio. He continues to host On Air with Ryan Seacrest and American Top 40, in addition to his more recent roles.

Television Personality

'American Idol'

After moving to Los Angeles, Seacrest started stepping in front of the cameras. He hosted Radical Outdoor Challenge on ESPN and the syndicated kids show Click in the 1990s. In 2002, Seacrest landed his first major television job with the singing-competition show American Idol. He co-hosted Idol with Brian Dunkleman in its first season, but he became the sole host for its subsequent seasons, emerging as a stabilizing presence as the show cycled through numerous judges. After Idol ended its run on Fox in 2016, Seacrest returned as host when the show resumed airing on ABC in 2018.

'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'

Seacrest realized a lifelong dream in 2005, when he started working with Dick Clark on his annual New Year's Eve special, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Around this time, he began hosting the cable entertainment show E! News—a position he held until 2011. Following Clark's death in 2012, Seacrest took over top billing as the New Year's Rockin' Eve host.

In 2012, Seacrest inked several deals to keep himself in front of the cameras for years to come. He signed on for several more seasons of American Idol and made a deal with NBC Universal. As part of his agreement with NBC Universal, Seacrest helped cover the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. 

Seacrest also briefly hosted the game show The Million Second Quiz in September 2013, and the short-lived reality series Knock Knock Live in July 2015. 

'Live with Kelly & Ryan'

In 2017, Seacrest became co-host of ABC's Live with Kelly & Ryan, alongside Kelly Ripa. Seacrest, who joined Live after Michael Strahan left to become an anchor on Good Morning America, earned an Emmy nomination for his new gig the following year.

Personal Life

Seacrest has dated numerous Hollywood women including Renée Hall, Sophie Monk and Teri Hatcher. He was linked to entertainer Julianne Hough for three years, but they split in 2013. 

In 2017, a former stylist at E! named Suzie Hardy accused Seacrest of sexual misconduct. The network subsequently conducted an independent investigation into the allegations, before reporting that it found "insufficient evidence to support the claims."

The following February, Seacrest addressed the issue and staunchly maintained his innocence in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter. However, Hardy held firm to her claims, describing her encounters with the media personality in more graphic detail in Variety article later in the month.

Seacrest subsequently issued another strong denial: "This person who has accused me of horrible things offered, on multiple occasions, to withdraw her claims if I paid her millions of dollars. I refused," he said in a statement. "I don’t want to accuse anyone of not telling the truth but in this case, I have no choice but to again deny the claims against me, remind people that I was recused of any wrongdoing, and put the matter to rest."

Seacrest dated chef Shayna Taylor on and off for eight years before splitting in spring 2020.

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