Ryan Seacrest

Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality, game show host, and producer.

Seacrest co-hosted and served as executive producer of Live with Kelly and Ryan, and has hosted other media shows including American Idol, American Top 40, and On Air with Ryan Seacrest.

Ryan John Seacrest was born in Atlanta on December 24, 1974, the son of homemaker Constance Marie (née Zullinger) and real estate lawyer Gary Lee Seacrest.

His father served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, in which his grandfather Henry Gene Skeen was a major general.

His mother told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Instead of playing with G.I. Joes or Cowboys and Indians, Ryan would always have a little microphone and do shows in the house."

At age 14, he attended Dunwoody High School.

At age 16, while still attending high school, he won an internship at WSTR in Atlanta where Tom Sullivan trained him in many aspects of radio.

When a regular DJ called in sick, Sullivan put him on the air for the first show of his broadcasting career.

He was given the weekend overnight shift at WSTR.

He continued to work on air at WSTR until graduating from Dunwoody High in 1992.

He studied journalism at the University of Georgia in the fall of 1992.

He continued his radio show at a local station in Athens, Georgia.

He left the university at age 19 and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his broadcasting career.

In 1993, Seacrest hosted the first season of ESPN's Radical Outdoor Challenge.

He also hosted three kids' game shows, Gladiators 2000 from 1994 to 1996 (a spinoff of the television show, American Gladiators), Wild Animal Games in 1995, and Click in 1997.

He appeared as the host of the fictional game show Lover's Lane on Beverly Hills, 90210 in "The Final Proof".

In the fall and winter of 2000, he was the host of The NBC Saturday Night Movie.

During commercial breaks he offered trivia on the film and a chance to win prizes by answering online on NBCi.

In 2001, he hosted a reality television program, Ultimate Revenge, where elaborate practical jokes were played on family and friends instigated by their own relatives and friends.

It was shown on TNN from 2001 to 2003.

In 2002, Seacrest accepted the position as co-host of a new Fox reality television series American Idol with comedian Brian Dunkleman.

The following year he became the sole host.

The show increased in popularity and was seen by some 26 million viewers weekly; Seacrest became recognizable around the world.

In 2003, he hosted the spin-off show, American Juniors. In July 2009, he signed a deal with CKX for $45 million to continue to host American Idol which made him the highest paid reality television host at the time.

Seacrest received Emmy Award nominations for American Idol every year from 2004 to 2013, and again in 2016.

In August 2005, it was announced that Seacrest would become executive producer and co-host of ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

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.

He became co-host and executive producer of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in 2006, and stayed on as host and executive producer following Clark's death in 2012.

In 2009, ABC renamed the program Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest, paying attention to Seacrest's role.

He co-hosted the show delivering ABC's biggest New Year's numbers in twelve years, with 22.8 million viewers.

He won an Emmy for producing Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution in 2010 and was nominated again in 2012.

Seacrest also occasionally served as a substitute host on the CNN television program Larry King Live, and co-emceed Larry King's final show with Bill Maher on December 16, 2010.

In April 2012, he signed a two-year $30 million deal to stay on as host of American Idol.

In May 2014, Deadline Hollywood reported that he had signed a one-year deal with the option of signing for another year.

He remained host of the series until the end of its run in April 2016.

The following May, it was announced that ABC had won a multi-network bidding war for the rights to the show.

On July 20, 2017, he announced on Live with Kelly & Ryan that he would be the host of an Idol reboot.

His initial multi-year deal was reported to be worth over $10 million.

In 2018, he received nominations for Live with Kelly and Ryan in the categories of Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment as well as Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.

In September 2024, Seacrest will become the host of Wheel of Fortune, replacing Pat Sajak.