Ryan John Seacrest (born
December 24,
1974) is an
Emmy Award-nominated
American television/
radio host and
television producer. A longtime broadcaster, Seacrest gained fame as host of the
FOX reality show American Idol. While he continues to host that show, Seacrest has also become a co-host of
E! News,
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, as well as such radio shows as
On Air with Ryan Seacrest on
KIIS-FM in
Los Angeles and
American Top 40.
Biography
Ryan Seacrest was born in
Dunwoody,
Georgia, the son of
Constance Marie (
née Zullinger), a homemaker, and Gary Lee Seacrest, an attorney.
[ryan seacrest][Ryan Seacrest Biography (1974?-)][SKTB Law - Seacrest, Karesh, Tate, & Bicknese - Atlanta Law Firm specializing in litigation & commercial real estate] He has a younger sister, Meredith, and is of
Swiss descent.
At a young age, he knew he wanted to be a
DJ, and idolized radio personalities like
Casey Kasem and
Dick Clark. Ryan hosted the morning announcements at his high school,
Dunwoody High School, from which he graduated in 1993. During his academic career, Seacrest was a staff writer with the school paper, a member of the model UN club and captain of the Dunwoody High School Swim Team (The Beavers)
[Yahoo! staff writer (2007)"Ryan Seacrest Biography" TV.Yahoo.com (accessed March 1, 2007)].
Personal life
Seacrest reportedly earns $32 million a year, according to
Forbes.
[[1]]
Seacrest dated actress Shana Wall from 2001-06
[McPheend (2007) "Seacrest Out… With Shana Wall!" AmericanIdolWorship.com (accessed February 27, 2007)] and
Sophie Monk in 2008.
In March 2006, he was photographed kissing actress
Teri Hatcher, who later told
Access Hollywood that she was "not attached."
[[2]] Seacrest also stated on the
May 2,
2006 episode of
The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he and Hatcher "went out a couple times, but that was it."
[[3]]
In a 2003 interview, Seacrest answered gay rumors in an interview with the weekly entertainment magazine
Steppin' Out, "I'm trying to think of the best way to describe the feeling I get when I hear that particular rumor. I am a certain way. I am relatively clean cut and I do like to shop for clothes. If I had to break it down
stereotypically, that would be a
gay male habit. Well for me it's not. It's a straight male habit."
Stuff magazine called him "the American poster boy for
metrosexuality.
Career
1990s
Seacrest began his career in
1990 at age 15 with Atlanta radio station "Star 94" (
WSTR-FM) while still in high school by interning with nighttime personality Tom Sullivan. Sullivan trained Seacrest in all aspects of broadcasting and put him on the air for the first radio broadcast of his career.
[RyanSeacrest.com staff writer (2007). Ryan Seacrest RyanSeacrest.com (accessed February 26, 2007)] He made his first television appearance in 1993, hosting the
Radical Outdoor Challenge.
In 1995, Seacrest became the afternoon drive DJ at "Star 98.7" (
KYSR-FM), an adult contemporary radio station in
Los Angeles, California. Despite all of his other projects, he remained committed to that DJ role until 2003. Also during his early twenties, Seacrest hosted a few short-lived game shows. His first TV gig was
Gladiators 2000 for syndication and
Wild Animal Games for
Fox Family (now
ABC Family). In 1997, Seacrest hosted the weekly syndicated internet game
Click, which lasted only two seasons. Also from time to time he became a substitute host for
E!'s
Talk Soup.
2000-present
Seacrest appeared as the host of the fictional game show "Lover's Lane" on "
Beverly Hills, 90210" in "The Final Proof".
Seacrest's first major television job was as the host of "
The New Edge", a weekend morning show created by
CNET showcasing new technology. Seacrest accepted the position as co-host of the hit reality TV series "
American Idol" in 2002 with comedian
Brian Dunkleman.
"American Idol" went on to become a success when the ratings went through the roof. This put Seacrest in the national spotlight. The following year, he became the sole host when Dunkleman left the show. (In a 2005 interview on the syndicated
Howard Stern Show, Dunkleman insisted that it was his idea to leave "Idol", to pursue his career as an actor, but he was bitter at Seacrest's occasional put-downs after Dunkleman's departure.) In 2003, Seacrest hosted the spin-off show, "
American Juniors".
In January 2003, Seacrest launched a daily entertainment/variety/talk syndicated television program, "
On Air with Ryan Seacrest". Due to low
ratings, the show was cancelled and aired its last episode on
September 17,
2004. In January of
2004, Seacrest became the new host of the legendary radio program "
American Top 40", created and formerly hosted by
Casey Kasem. The show was syndicated by
Premiere Radio Networks. Before he took over as host on AT40, he was a substitute host four times in 2003. In February 2004, Seacrest became host of popular
Los Angeles radio station
KIIS's morning show, replacing long-time host
Rick Dees.
[Peterson, Todd (2004). "NEWS BRIEFS: Jessica Simpson Lands Pilot" People.com (accessed February 27, 2007)] This show, also known as
On Air With Ryan Seacrest, remains on the air. "Every day I've showed up at a radio station, and every day I've essentially talked on the radio. I mean every day of my life — Monday through Friday — since I was 15. So for me, I'm so used to walking into a studio and having interesting conversations people can relate to. It's my job."
[Beverly Hill [4] magazine ]
In January 2005, Seacrest hosted the "Celebration of Freedom" concert in
Washington, DC for
President George W. Bush, the Bush family and the
United States Military.
[President Thanks Military, Guests at 'Celebration of Freedom' Concert]
In late April 2005, Seacrest received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at the age of 30.
In
August 2005, it was announced that Seacrest would become executive producer and co-host of
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, and that he would be the legendary producer-host's eventual successor.
[[5]] On
December 31,
2005 Seacrest performed much of the show's hosting duties.
Dick Clark's role was limited by speech and mobility issues due to his recovery from a stroke. Seacrest also occasionally serves as a substitute host on the
CNN television program
Larry King Live.
In January 2006, U.S. cable channel
E! announced a three-year, $21 million deal for Seacrest to host and produce various programs, including
E! News and its red carpet awards show coverages (E!'s signature piece of original programming).
[Ryan Seacrest Signs Deal With E! TV] An
Associated Press profile portrayed Seacrest as using both the deal with E! and the
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve involvement as a springboard towards a long-lasting career in television production and ownership.
[The real 'American Idol'] In
April 2006, he won a
Daytime Emmy Award for co-hosting the 2005 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade with
Regis Philbin and
Kelly Ripa. Seacrest had a very amusing cameo in the summer 2007 blockbuster film
Knocked Up, where he steps out of his usual friendly host role on E! and rants about the stupidity of the interviews he has to conduct, noting that no one has anything to say about an exit strategy in Iraq or dealing with (presumably North) Korea.
Seacrest hosted the 59th
Primetime Emmy Awards on
September 16,
2007.
[Ryan Seacrest to host Emmy Awards - More news and other features - MSNBC.com]
In May 2008, reports said Seacrest would be executive producer for a new reality dating show, "Momma's Boy," for NBC. According to a casting announcement, the series will follow mothers as they work with their sons to find their perfect match
[Seacrest Parents NBC's 'Boy' - TVWeek - News].
Seacrest is also the executive producer of E! reality show
Denise Richards: It's Complicated which premiered on May 26, 2008. The show has received numerous negative reviews. The
Boston Herald rated the show a D. It's critic Mark A. Perigard said of the first episode:
"Denise Richards’ life is one steaming pile of pig poop...Literally"[From Boston Herald (May 26, 2008)].
In August of 2008, ABC picked up the option in Seacrest's contract to extend him as co-host of New Years Eve through 2010, ringing in 2011, also renaming the program 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest', to reflect Seacrest's success as co-host, said in a statement by Orly Anderson, president of Dick Clark Productions.
[[6]].
In August of 2008, Ryan Seacest names his longtime William Morris Agent, Adam Sher, as C.E.O. of Ryan Seacrest Productions.
[[7]]
In August of 2008, Ryan inks an expansive deal with the Comcast Entertainment Group, keeping him on E!Entertainment Television through early 2012. Comcast also gets first-look rights at all Ryan Seacrest Productions products.
[[8]]
Radio
Film
Television
In 2008 it was announced he has 2 new shows: Bromance, a reality show on
MTV featuring
Brody Jenner,
and an untitled scripted series he is producing with Paris Hilton.
[[9]]
