There have been rumors upon rumors upon rumors, but, as of Thursday, Ryan Seacrest is officially returning for American Idol — the ABC reboot — as the host confirmed on Live With Kelly & Ryan. And, with his return, Seacrest has all but cemented his position as the hardest working person in show business. The television personality, who first rose to national attention when he signed on to host Idol in 2002, has reportedly remained ABC's number one prospect since they announced its revival earlier this year, according to Hollywood Reporter. Seacrest served as the series’ host during its 15 year run on the Fox Network until its cancellation in 2016.
Since his rise to fame on Idol, Seacrest has taken on more jobs than seem reasonable for a single person. Most recently, he signed on to fill the empty co-host spot on daytime talk show Live with Kelly & Ryan. Seacrest is already responsible for bringing Keeping Up With The Kardashians to life on E! and still continues to serve as the executive producer on the popular reality series and its many spin-offs. On top of reigning the KUWTK dynasty, he continues to serve as host on his eponymous radio show, On Air With Ryan Seacrest and maintains managing editor duties on E! News where he presents and produces all of the network’s red carpet coverage. He also produces several other television programs, which include Bravo's Shahs of Sunset and NBC's Shades of Blue starring Jennifer Lopez. He’s additionally both produced and hosted the yearly special Dick Clark’s New Year's Rockin’ Eve since 2005.
Fans took to social media to joke about Seacrest’s impressive work ethic after news of his return hit mainstream media this morning. One user can't imagine where the TV personality finds the time to handled so many duties.
Meanwhile another fan tweeted shock over the number of jobs Seacrest has taken on.
Both Katy Perry, the only judge confirmed for the reboot thus far, and Seacrest have shared their elation for his return. Perry took to Twitter to express her joy and encourage fans to audition.
Meanwhile Seacrest rejoiced in his return to the singing competition, jokingly referring to the series as an "old flame" on Twitter.
Although the news was a long time coming, many were not surprised by the July 20 announcement. This past spring Seacrest told Hollywood Reporter, “I've always loved the show. And if I could do it forever, I would do it forever." So it seems that Ryan Seacrest may actually get his wish after all.