Ryan Seacrest Biography

Ryan John Seacrest was born on December 24, 1974, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, to Constance Marie and Gary Lee Seacrest.

Right from an early age, Ryan had an inclination towards showbiz. While boys of his age fancied ‘GI Joe’ and cowboy characters, he hung around with a microphone in hand.

He received his preliminary education from ‘Dunwoody High School.’As he was the school’s morning announcer, he was often known as the ‘Voice of Dunwoody High School.’

While still at school, he managed to land a coveted internship at WSTR FM in Atlanta.Under Tom Sullivan, he learnt various tricks of the trade.

Interestingly, his debut was an impromptu one. The ill-health of the regular RJ turned favorable for him as he landed the first show of his broadcasting career. He had the weekend overnight slot at WSTR.

His association with WSTR continued until his graduation from ‘Dunwoody High School’ in 1992. Following this, he gained admission into the ‘University of Georgia’ to study journalism. He did not forsake his radio career and continued with his show at a local Athens station.

He dropped out of the university in 1993 to pursue a full-time career in broadcasting. Subsequently, he moved to Hollywood.

His good looks and experience at hosting radio shows earned him a place in front of the camera for the first season of ESPN's ‘Radical Outdoor Challenge’ in 1993.

From 1994 to 1996, he served as the host for the kids’ game show ‘Gladiator 2000.’ In 1997, he hosted yet another kids’ game show titled‘Click.’ He also hosteda fictional game show titled‘Lover’s Lane on Beverly Hills 90210.’

His popularity increased in 2000 as he started hosting NBC’s ‘Saturday Night at the Movies.’From 2000 to 2001, he served as the host for NBC’s Saturday morning block.

In 2001, he served as the host of a television reality program titled ‘Ultimate Revenge,’ wherein he played practical jokes on people as per the request of their own family and friends. The show was aired on TNN for two years until 2003.

While he hosted a couple of game shows, his major breakthrough came with a brand new Fox reality television series ‘American Idol,’ wherein he was the co-host along with comedian Brian Dunkleman.

‘American Idol’ became a major hit and catapulted him to fame. He gained national prominence and started enjoying celebrity status. Thanks to his popularity, he became the solo host of the show in its second year.

The increasing popularity of ‘American Idol’ proved fruitful for the show as well as for him.He earned wide recognition and became famous worldwide. The show was viewed by 26 million viewers. The popularity of the show resulted in a spin-off program titled‘American Juniors,’ which was also hosted by Ryan.

While his television career was booming, he returned to American radio after signing a contract to serve as the new host for the radio program ‘American Top 40.’ The show was syndicated by ‘Premiere Radio Networks.’

The same year, he replaced Rick Dees to serve as the host of the Los Angeles radio station KIIS's morning show. The show is now known as ‘On Air With Ryan Seacrest.’ Covering more than 150 air stations in North America, the show remains one of America’s most popular shows. Apart from hosting the show, he also serves as its executive producer.

In 2005, he served as the co-host of ABC's ‘Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.’ Since Clark was recuperating from a major stroke and was dealing with speech and mobility issues, Ryan was more or less the main host of the show.

The following year, he signed a three-year deal worth $21 million with the US cable channel E! to host and produce various programs, including ‘E! News’ and its red carpet award shows. In 2006, he launched his own production‘Ryan Seacrest Productions’(RSP) where Adam Sher served as the CEO.

His increasing prominence in ‘Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve’ resulted in the show being renamed in 2009 as ‘Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest.’ The show delivered ABC’s biggest New Year’s numbers in 12 years with 22.6 million viewers.

In addition to ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,’ he also served as a substitute host for CNN’s popular television program ‘Larry King Live.’ He co-emceed Larry King's final show with Bill Maher on December 16, 2010.

Meanwhile in 2009, he signed a lucrative deal of $45 million with CKX for ‘American Idol,’ thus becoming the highest paid reality television host. In 2012, he signed a two-year contract worth $30 million to serve as the host of the show.

In 2012, he signed a deal with ‘NBC Universal,’ which expanded his role beyond ‘E! News.’ As per the new contract, he remained the managing editor of ‘E! News’ and host to its red carpet shows. Additionally, he also contributed to ‘Today Show,’ Olympic coverage, entertainment programming, as well as news and other special events.

His production house RSP produces the hit series ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ and the spin-offs, such as‘Kourtney and Kim Take New York’ and ‘Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami.’It also released the ‘Emmy’ award-winning series ‘Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.’

In 2012, RSP produced two new reality series, including ‘Melissa and Tye,’ which aired on CMT.It also produced‘Shahs of Sunset’ for Bravo. Furthermore, another brand new show titled ‘Married to Jonas’ premiered on August 19, 2012 on E! and was renewed for a second season.

After Dick Clark’s demise, Ryan hosted the 2013 edition of ‘New Year's Rockin' Eve’ along with co-hosts Jenny McCarthy and Fergie. They payed tribute to Dick Clark in the pre-show.

Apart from being a radio personality and television host, he is also a philanthropist. He launched the ‘Ryan Seacrest Foundation,’a non-profit organization aimed at enhancing the quality of life of ill and injured children.Apart from building media centers, the foundationhas also inaugurated a children’s hospital.

In 2015, Seacrest hosted‘Knock Knock Live,’ which premiered on Fox.

In 2017, ‘Ryan Seacrest Productions’signed a dealwith‘ABC Studios,’ according to which the company's scripted division would develop scripted projects for ‘ABC Studios.’The following year, he joined ‘Paley Center for Media's Board of Trustees.’

He received an ‘Emmy Award’ for producing the ABC show‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.’

The ‘University of Georgia’ presented him with the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.Hedelivered the opening speech at the graduation ceremony in May 2016.

He was in a romantic relationship with Julianne Hough, a professional dancer, actress, and singer.She came into prominence after participating in the show ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ The relationship, which started in 2010, ended in 2013.

In 2017, Seacrest started dating a model named Shayna Taylor.