Ryan John Seacrest birthday. American Idol co-host

Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American radio personality, television host, and producer. Seacrest is known for hosting the competition show American Idol, the syndicated countdown program American Top 40, and the KIIS-FM morning radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest. He began co-hosting Live with Kelly and Ryan on a permanent basis May 1, 2017.

Seacrest received Emmy Award nominations for American Idol, and won an Emmy for producing Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

Early life

Seacrest was born on December 24, 1974, in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Constance Marie (née Zullinger), a homemaker, and Gary Lee Seacrest, a real estate lawyer. 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, Seacrest won an internship at WSTR (FM), in Atlanta, with Tom Sullivan, who trained him in the many aspects of radio. When the regular DJ called in sick, Sullivan put him on the air for the very first show of his broadcasting career. Seacrest was given the weekend overnight shift at WSTR.

Seacrest continued to work on air at WSTR until graduating from Dunwoody High School in 1992. Seacrest went on to study journalism at the University of Georgia in fall 1992. He continued his radio show at a local Athens station. Seacrest left the university at age 19 and moved to Hollywood to pursue his broadcasting career.

Career

Television hosting

In 1993, Seacrest hosted the first season of ESPN's Radical Outdoor Challenge. He also hosted three kids' game shows, Gladiators 2000from 1994–96 (a spinoff of the television show, American Gladiators), Wild Animal Games in 1995, and Click in 1997. 

Seacrest 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, Seacrest 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 (now Spike) from 2001 to 2003.

American Idol

In 2002, Seacrest accepted the position as co-host of a new Fox reality television series American Idol with comedian Brian Dunkleman. American Idol went on to success, putting Seacrest in the national spotlight. The following year, he became the sole host. When the show increased in popularity, seen by some 26 million viewers weekly, Seacrest became recognizable around the world. In 2003, Seacrest hosted the spin-off show, American Juniors. 

In July 2009, Seacrest inked a deal with CKX for $45 million to continue to host American Idol, making him the highest paid reality television host to date In April 2012, he signed a two-year, $30 million deal to stay on as host of American Idol. In May 2014, Deadline.com reported that Seacrest had signed a one-year deal with the option of another year. He remained host of the series until the end of its run in April 2016. An announcement was made on July 20, 2017 that Seacrest would be the host of an Idol reboot.

New Year's Rockin' Eve

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. 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 2009, ABC renamed the program Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest, to reflect Seacrest's role. The 40th Dick Clark’s New Year's Rockin’ Eve, co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest, delivered ABC’s biggest New Years' numbers in twelve years, with 22.6 million viewers.

When Dick Clark died, Seacrest publicly remembered his mentor's impact on his life in a special tribute in The Hollywood Reporter. After Clark's death, Seacrest hosted the 2013 edition of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with co-hosts Jenny McCarthy and Fergie paying tribute to Dick Clark in the pre-show. In October 2013, Seacrest signed a multi-year contract extension with Dick Clark Productions to continue as host and executive producer of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.