Ryan Seacrest will have some help when Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve happens on ABC December 31. Seacrest will host from Times Square in New York with Rita Ora, while Jeannie Mai will co-host from Hollywood. 

Dayanara Torres will co-host from Puerto Rico. 

New Year’s Rockin’ Eve starts at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The show marks 52 years on the air on December 31. Last year’s special attracted 13.8 million total viewers, according to ABC, and averaged a 4.1 in viewers 18-49. Last year’s co-hosts, alongside Seacrest, were actress Liza Koshy and country artist Jessie James Decker. 

Ora is a singer-songwriter from the United Kingdom. Her latest album is called “You & I.” She will star in the upcoming film Tin Soldier and will appear in Descendants: The Rise of Red on Disney Plus. She previously hosted the first season of America’s Next Top Model. 

Mai hosted Miss Universe in 2022 and 2023. She was on season 29 of Dancing with the Stars and was sideline correspondent on the mini-golf show Holey Moley. 

Torres was Miss Universe in 1993 and is a singer, actor and model. She hosted awards show Premios Juventud on Univision earlier this year. 

Dick Clark Productions produces Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.

ABC said it renewed its deal with Dick Clair Productions and will air Dick Clair’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest for five years through January 1, 2029.

Rockin’ Eve has been the highest-rated New Year’s special for 30 years, ABC said. 

Last New Year's, it drew an average of 13.3 million including 17.9 million during the midnight quarter hour.

Seacrest has been hosting ABC’s New Year’s special solo since 2012. He and Dick Clark hosted together beginning in 2005 following Clark’s stroke in 2004

Guests and performers for the upcoming Rockin’ Eve special have yet to be named.

Dick Clark Productions, which also puts out the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, and the Gold Globe Awards, is owned by Penske Media.

Ryan Seacrest will take over as host of Sony Pictures Television’s long-running Wheel of Fortune after Pat Sajak retires at the end of this upcoming season. 

By the time he retires, Sajak will have hosted Wheel of Fortune for all 41 years the syndicated version of the show has been on the air. Seacrest, who will also serve as consulting producer, will start his run in September 2024. 

Wheel of Fortune, together with top access game show Jeopardy!, airs on ABC-owned stations in top markets, including WABC New York, KABC Los Angeles and WLS Chicago. Seacrest, who hosts ABC’s American Idol and was Kelly Ripa’s co-host on ABC’s daytime syndicated talker Live with Kelly and Ryan for six years, already has a strong relationship with ABC viewers and executives. Seacrest also hosts — and co-produces — Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest, which has aired on ABC every New Year’s Eve since 2005. (Prior to that, Clark hosted the special in various incarnations from 1974 to 2003. Regis Philbin hosted in 2004 after Clark suffered a stroke.)

“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them,” Seacrest said in a statement. “Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”

Seacrest also noted that coming to Sony to host Wheel of Fortune is a “full-circle moment” for him, having hosted a game show called Click for Merv Griffin 25 years ago. 

“I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White,” Seacrest said.  

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Pat and Vanna for many years, witnessing their effortless ability to bring joy and humor to Wheel of Fortune for decades! Pat has been an incredible host and helped build the show into the success it is today,” Suzanne Prete, executive VP of game shows at Sony Pictures Television, said, also in a statement. “While Ryan has some big shoes to fill, I’m confident he will connect with our loyal fanbase and excite a whole new audience as we expand upon the show’s great legacy. I couldn’t be more thrilled.” 

Besides his other hosting duties, Seacrest also hosts and produces iHeartMedia’s nationally syndicated morning drive-time radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest as well as weekly show, American Top  40 with Ryan Seacrest.

Wheel of Fortune is executive produced by Bellamie Blackstone. It's distributed in syndication by CBS Media Ventures. 

Live with Kelly and Ryan will say goodbye to Ryan Seacrest on Friday, April 14, Kelly Ripa and Seacrest confirmed on ABC’s Countdown to Oscars 95: The Red Carpet Live Sunday night. Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, who has guest-hosted the show many times, will become the official co-host on Monday, April 17, and the show will be renamed Live with Kelly and Mark.

Seacrest announced in February that he would be leaving the show after six years of coast-to-coast commutes while he did Live, his daily nationally syndicated morning drive-time radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, and hosted ABC’s American Idol in primetime. He’ll continue to do those other jobs as well as host Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest and occasionally guest-host Live.

Seacrest joined Live in 2017, after the show spent a year looking for a new co-host after the departure of Michael Strahan in 2016. Strahan replaced the show’s founding host, Regis Philbin, in 2012 and left in 2016 to permanently join ABC’s Good Morning America. 

Live with Kelly and Ryan on Monday aired its “Live After Oscar” show, which has become an annual tradition for the syndicated talker. 

Live with Kelly and Ryan is daytime’s top-rated talk show, averaging a 1.6 live plus same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen, in the week ended Sunday, February 26. ▪️

Ryan Seacrest will be leaving syndication powerhouse Live with Kelly and Ryan this spring after six seasons and will be replaced by Kelly Ripa’s husband, actor Mark Consuelos.

The upcoming changes were announced on Live Thursday morning.

Seacrest plans to return to the West Coast. He will continue to host American Idol and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. He said will also be an occasional guest host on Live.

“Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,“ Seacrest said. “She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together,” Seacrest said. “I also want to thank [executive producer] Michael Gelman and the entire staff and crew — we’ve made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America. It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.” 

The show will be rebranded as Live with Kelly and Mark.

“I’m so grateful to have spent the last six years beside my dear friend of too many decades to count and will miss starting my days with Ryan,” said Ripa. “Ryan’s energy, passion and love for entertainment is one-of-a-kind.” 

Seacrest was initially signed to co-host Live for three years, following in Regis Philbin’s footsteps, and ended up staying for six.

“Goodbyes are never easy, but we look forward to welcoming Ryan back regularly with open arms. As a fan-favorite guest host for years, Mark is no stranger to the Live family. Having him join the show is so special for us and we’re sure that viewers will feel the same,” said Michael Gelman, executive producer of Live with Kelly and Ryan.

So far this season, Live has been the top rated talk show among households, total viewers and women 25-54.  ■

The Watchful Eye, a mystery drama from Ryan Seacrest, debuts on Freeform Monday, January 30. The show follows Elena, a young woman with what Freeform calls “a complicated past,” who is a nanny for an affluent family in Manhattan. “She quickly learns that everyone in the mysterious building has deadly secrets and ulterior motives. What they don't know, however, is that Elena has some shocking secrets of her own,” Freeform said. 

Two episodes air on premiere night, and all 10 are on Hulu January 31. 

Mariel Molino, Warren Christie, Amy Acker, Jon Ecker, Aliyah Royale and Lex Lumpkin are in the cast. 

Seacrest executive produces with Emily Fox, Nina Wass, Andrea Shay and Jeffrey Reiner. Fox is the showrunner. Julie Durk created the show and is a consultant on it. 

Fox likened the series to a puzzle at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. “It's not just a whodunit,” she said. “All the different pieces need to be assembled over the course of the series. And it's a chess game, and it has a lot of different moving parts.”

Molino spoke about her Elena character at press tour. “I was really interested in the duplicity of her character and the mask that she presents with the family in The Greybourne and the two sides of her that she has to juggle because, as we find out, she's kind of working a grift, and there's something going on that we don't quite know,” she said. “For me, it was really fun to kind of figure out, okay, who is the real Elena?”

ABC Signature produces The Watchful Eye along with Ryan Seacrest Productions. ■

Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong, celebrating the animated and educational ditties from the days of yore, happens on ABC February 1. Ryan Seacrest hosts.

It is the fifth installment of ABC’s Singalong franchise.

Black Eyed Peas, Derek Hough and Shaquille O’Neal are among the celebs taking part.

The special will stream next day on Hulu and at a later date on Disney Plus.

Black Eyed Peas will perform “Three Is a Magic Number”, Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert do “Figure 8”, Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen sing “I'm Just a Bill”, Julianne Hough offers up “Interplanet Janet”, The Muppets & Fortune Feimster perform “Unpack Your Adjectives”, Ne-Yo handles “Verb: That's What’s Happening”, Raven Symoné and Kal Penn sing “Interjections”, Retta does “Ready or Not, Here I Come”, Shaquille O'Neal and Boys & Girls Club of Atlanta play “Conjunction Junction” and various stars from Disney’s Broadway and touring productions handle “A Noun Is a Person, Place or Thing.”

Other Singalong specials include The Disney Family Singalong and The Disney Holiday Singalong in 2020.

Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong is produced by Done+Dusted in association with Walt Disney Television Alternative. Executive producers include RJ Durell, Ashley Edens, Nick Florez and Katy Mullan. ■

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 is on ABC December 31, as the telecast happens Times Square in New York. It is Seacrest’s 18th time hosting. Actress Liza Koshy and country artist Jessie James Decker are co-hosts. 

The show begins at 8 p.m. ET and ends at 2 a.m. the next day. 

Ciara hosts from Disneyland in Southern California as the Disney 100 Years of Wonder Celebration kicks off. Disneyland segments will be pre-taped for the New Year’s program. 

Billy Porter hosts from New Orleans. D-Nice hosts from Los Angeles. 

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2022, the 50th-anniversary show, grew to a four-year high in total viewers with 19.6 million, according to ABC. 

Seacrest hosts Live with Kelly and Ryan and American Idol. 

Dick Clark died in 2012. Dick Clark Productions produces the New Year’s telecast. 

The CBS New Year’s bash happens in Nashville. ■

The NAB announced Thursday (Sept. 1) that Ryan Seacrest will be awarded its Distinguished Service Award (DSA), the organization's highest honor. The presentation will take place during the Marconi Radio Awards dinner on October 19 at NAB Show New York.

Aside from Seacrest's career in radio and television broadcasting, he is also founder and chairman of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF), "a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring today's youth through entertainment and education focused initiatives," a press release stated. The RSF has installed 11 broadcast media centers in pediatric hospitals nationwide and will open its newest studio at Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens, New York in 2023, with additional studios to be announced later this year. 

Seacrest also serves as host of ABC's American Idol and Live with Kelly and Ryan. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. He also hosts Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest can also be heard on iHeartMedia's 102.7 KIIS-FM’s On Air with Ryan Seacrest and American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest.

“Ryan has made an indelible mark on broadcasting while demonstrating a strong commitment to public service,” said NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “For decades, Ryan has produced and hosted hit radio and television programs that have entertained millions worldwide, while dedicating his time to bring joy to children in need. NAB looks forward to celebrating his contributions to our industry and our community at NAB Show New York this October.”

Former recipients of the NAB DSA include former NAB president and CEO Gordon Smith, Jim Henson, Alan Alda, Robin Roberts, Bob Schieffer, Michael J. Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, President Ronald Reagan, Edward R. Murrow, Bob Hope, Walter Cronkite and Oprah Winfrey. ■

Season nine of Shahs of Sunset, an unscripted show about Persian-American socialites in Los Angeles, is on Bravo May 16. Ryan Seacrest Productions produces the show along with Truly Original. 

Returning for the season are Reza Farahan, Mercedes “MJ” Javid, Mike Shouhed, Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi, Destiney Rose and Nema Vand. London Laed “joins the loud-and-proud crew for this season’s wild ride,” teases Bravo. 

This season, Reza finds himself ready to reconcile with MJ, while holding a restraining order against her husband. Mike and his girlfriend Paulina’s relationship is put to the test and GG is thrilled to introduce her son Elijah to the world. Destiney works to find peace with MJ as she strengthens her bonds with Reza and GG. Nema, meanwhile, struggles to repair his friendships with Reza, Destiney and GG in the hopes of bringing his “family” back together. 

Ryan Seacrest is an executive producer with Steven Weinstock, Glenda Hersh, Lauren Eskelin, Lorraine Haughton-Lawson, Julie “Bob” Lombardi, Apryl Richards and Chaz Morgan.

Disney’s Live With Kelly and Ryan returned to the studio on Labor Day, Sept. 7 to debut season 33 after having produced the show remotely for nearly six months. And while Live managed to make things work -- and stay live -- during that time of disruption, the whole team was happy to be back at work, even though social distancing and other COVID-related protocols remain in place.

To some extent, Live made the most of the pandemic because it was one of the few shows in syndication that managed to stay live throughout quarantine. That constant connection between the show’s hosts, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, and the show’s audience revealed itself in the ratings over the summer, when Live was syndication’s top talk show throughout most of the spring and summer, averaging nearly 2.7 million viewers each day. For the first time in the show’s 32-year history, Live With Kelly and Ryan ended the season as the top talk show among two key daytime demographics: women 18-49 and women 25-54, according to Nielsen. 

“Being on five days a week for so long, we pride ourselves on interacting and engaging with the audience as real people. We bring comfort [because] we become like their at-home friends,” said Executive Producer Michael Gelman. “Kelly and Ryan are in [the audience’s] homes five days a week year after year, and the audience has been through many good and bad times with them.” 

During the pandemic, “we were there for people, we never really missed a show,” Gelman said, even though it required most of his staff, including himself, Ripa and Seacrest, to produce the show from their homes. 

That wasn’t always easy because even Kelly Ripa can have internet problems: “One thing that was totally beyond our control was that we really were dependent on the internet and its speed. At a certain time every day, it would slow down, come to a halt and get choppy, especially for Kelly. Long Island didn’t have great internet capacity. I was out there too and I would experience the same thing and it’s a pretty panicky feeling when you are about to lose your host,” Gelman said. 

“At one point, we were doing a wedding for a couple who were both transit officers. Their wedding had been postponed by COVID, so we were doing a virtual wedding and all of a sudden, the internet started going down. So in the middle of the show, Kelly ran over to the home of someone who works for her production company and got back on the air,” Gelman said.

Going into season 33, Live is leaning into the pandemic, offering four weeks of content that’s themed “Live @Home.” The first week was @Home Improvement Week, and the show aired segments on painting, DIY projects and repairs and more. This week, it was Cooking School @Home, teaching viewers such things as knife skills, how to cook with herbs and Meat 101. Next week, Live will dive into money, tackling such topics as early retirement, savings, paying off debt and more. And the last week of the month will see the show exploring home health care, such as first aid, self-care and kitchen cures.

Of course, celebrities will be part of the mix, with some of them, such as John Leguizamo, even coming to the studio, although staying at a safe distance away from the hosts. Others will continue to Skype in, but viewers are used to that at this point. Besides Leguizamo, other celebrities slated to appear on Live this month are Jimmy Kimmel before he hosts Sunday’s virtual primetime Emmy awards, new Dancing with the Stars host Tyra Banks, Real Housewife of New York and businesswoman Bethenny Frankel and friend of the show Josh Groban. 

There also will be so-called “regular people” segments focusing on “Heroes” and “Good News” and a new segment featuring families who are fans of the show. 

“We were just doing the first one and the youngest child in the Garcia family just went rogue,” Gelman said. “But it’s real and it’s live and it’s what happens in any family -- a little child just starts doing what they want and it was very entertaining on all sides.”

Looking ahead, Live is working hard to book as many live in-studio guests as possible and Gelman and crew is still planning the show’s annual big and highly rated Halloween costume blowout in which Ripa and Seacrest appear in many costumes.

Kelly Ripa got emotional talking with Ryan Seacrest about the passing of her former co-host, Regis Philbin, Monday on Live with Kelly and Ryan.

Philbin died of heart disease on Saturday at the age of 88.

Related: Regis Philbin Has Died

"I only got to work with him 11 years but I think of [executive producer Michael] Gelman and [show creator] Art Moore and so many staff members, a lot of our producers, who have been here all of those years. I think about them because they really from the ground floor built the show into what it is and into what you and I try to carry on," Ripa said to Seacrest.

She also compared Philbin to Seacrest: "They don’t make ‘em like Ryan Seacrest anymore but then Ryan Seacrest comes along and Regis said ‘that kid’s got it.’"

Seacrest shared that he admired Philbin as a child: "He was so many people’s best friend. I remember watching him as a child growing up and watching him on TV because I felt like I knew him. He had -- and we appreciate it so much because we do it every day -- this amazing ability to be so comfortable on TV."

Later in the episode, executive producer Michael Gelman got on camera to talk about what Philbin meant to him. 

"It was a relationship like a father-son relationship but I was the father and he was the son," Gelman gently joked.

Gelman started at WABC as a production assistant in the 1980s and then moved on to The Morning Show, which later became the nationally syndicated talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. He was executive producer when Kathie Lee Gifford departed the show in 2000, and a search brought Ripa to the program in February 2001. 

Philbin left Live in 2011 and was replaced by Michael Strahan, who drove the show to strong ratings. Strahan went to Good Morning America full time in 2016 and was replaced by Ryan Seacrest in May 2017. 

Live wasn't the only show to pay tribute to the consummate television host. Gifford returned to her last gig, NBC's Today, to remember Philbin as well.