‘American Idol’ Host Ryan Seacrest Reflects on Visiting the Judges’ Hometowns
Disney/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest stopped by Good Morning America this week to talk about the upcoming new season of the show. Seacrest reflected on visiting the judges’ hometowns for this season’s auditions.
Ryan Seacrests Talks Visiting American Idol Judges’ Hometowns
Season 22 of American Idol is themed to hometowns, as the show traveled to where the judges got their start — Luke Bryan’s hometown of Leesburg, Georgia; Lionel Richie’s hometown of Tuskegee, Alabama; and Katy Perry’s hometown of Santa Barbara, California.
“Each of them took it very seriously, with a lot of pride, showing off their hometowns and where they came from,” Seacrest shared. “Everybody starts somewhere. It was nice to see where they went to school, who their teachers were before all of it.”
GMA shared a clip from the new season, showing the judges at Luke Bryan’s high school. Bryan can be seen telling his fellow judges that they’re standing on “the stage that I learned how to conquer stage fright.”
“When you think of Katy Perry, for example, she’s such a global superstar and icon,” Seacrest said. “To know that she would go to the farmer’s market in her hometown of Santa Barbara and sing for avocados and mangos as her payment, it just makes you feel like, what a great self-made story of success in the world of pop music.”
SEE ALSO: KATY PERRY ANNOUNCES SHE’S LEAVING ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ AFTER THIS SEASON
Seacrest Has Been Hosting the Show Since It Started
Seacrest has been hosting Idol since it premiered on FOX back in 2002. As Seacrest shared on GMA, he was in his 20s at the time. The show has been on for so long that some of the new contestants weren’t even born when it premiered.
“These kids… their parents are younger than I am,” Seacrest admitted. The star, who is also set to start hosting Wheel of Fortune later this year, will be turning 50 in December.
Seacrest said he’s “so excited” to start hosting the iconic game show, adding, “I’ve been watching it for so many years, like many people here in this country. Pat Sajak is such a legend … I’ve had a chance to start shooting with Vanna [White] for a promo. She’s the most amazing person.”
You can watch the Season 22 premiere of American Idol on Sunday, February 18, on ABC.
This was beautiful Admin. Thank you for your reflections.
“Thank you for being a motivational architect, constructing bridges of determination and perseverance in your posts!”