Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest (born 24.12.1974)

Ryan Seacrest is an American TV and radio host. He originally hit the big time when he began to host American Idol.

Ryan Seacrest: Childhood

Ryan Seacrest was born to Constance Marie and Gary Lee Seacrest in Dunwoody, Georgia. He has one younger sister, named Meredith.

When Ryan was young, he looked up to radio disc jockeys such as Casey Kasem and Dick Clark and knew from early on that he wanted to become a DJ himself.

Ryan Seacrest studied at the University of Georgia in 1993, where he hosted his very first radio show, at a radio station in Athens. At the age of 19, Ryan dropped out of university in order to pursue his career, moving to Hollywood in the process. He has utilized social networking sites such as Twitter to develop his fan base.

Ryan Seacrest: Career

Ryan Seacrest made an appearance in Beverley Hills 90210 as a game show host in an episode titled 'The Final Proof'. His debut major TV job came as the host of a weekend show introducing new technologies. The show was named The New Edge and was created by CNET.

Following this, Seacrest accepted the job of hosting American Idol, along with Brian Dunkleman. The judges on the show are Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.

Whilst he was presenting the 2003 American Music Awards, Ryan Seacrest tore open Kathy Griffin's blouse, revealing her bra. Griffin described the incident as a 'physical assault', though Seacrest laughed the incident off, admitting that it was unscripted. When he made a joke about a 12 year old girl in the audience, the presenter Patricia Heaton walked out of the awards in protest.

When Brian Dunkleman left American Idol, Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show on his own. Dunkleman has since commented on the Howard Stern show that Seacrest's cutting remarks that he made about Dunkleman on air, following his departure, were upsetting. Seacrest also host the American Idol spin-off American Juniors.

The daily entertainment show On Air With Ryan Seacrest was first aired in 2004 but cancelled eight months later. That same year, he also became the host of American Top 40, which was formerly hosted by one of Seacrest's idols, Casey Kasem. He also replaced Rick Dees as the morning show host on the Los Angeles radio station KIIS.

Seacrest was selected to host the 'Celebration of Freedom' concert for President George W. Bush and the United States Military. Among those performing at the concert were Andrea Bocelli and Kenny Chesney.

Ryan Seacrest was selected as the co-host and executive producer of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, as Clark himself had been restricted by speech and mobility impairment after suffering from a stroke. On occasions, Ryan Seacrest acts as a stand-in host for Larry King Live.

In January 2006, Ryan Seacrest signed a three year deal with Channel E! for $21 million. The deal stated that Seacrest would host a variety of news shows and red carpet awards coverage shows.

Seacrest won a Daytime Emmy Award for his stint hosting the 2005 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, along with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa.

In 2007, Ryan Seacrest had a cameo role in the comedy film Knocked Up, which starred Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl and was written by Judd Apatow. That same year, he hosted the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.

As part of his deal with E! Ryan also acts as the executive producer on the reality show Denise Richards: It's Complicated, which hasn't gone down well with a number of TV critics.