Ryan Seacrest Thinks Lionel Richie is ‘The Greatest Individual Walking this Planet’
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Ryan Seacrest is one of the busiest people in the world. Juggling multiple shows at the same time obviously isn’t easy. The American Idol host stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to chat about his adoration for judge Lionel Richie. He also revealed nobody actually told him how long the American Idol finale would be.
Ryan Seacrest had No Idea the ‘American Idol’ Finale was Three Hours Long
Jimmy Kimmel pointed out that the American Idol finale is a three-hour event this coming Sunday. Seacrest shared he was not aware of the extra hour until he looked at the press release on his own.
“Thank you I just realized that, I saw the press release the other day and it said it’s from 8-11 and I did not know that,” he said. “It used to be when I started out they would check with you.”
Immediately after the finale, Seacrest will jump on a plane and fly to New York to be ready for Live with Kelly and Ryan. One American Idol Top 10 finalist will be brought on the May 24 episode for an encore performance decided by fans.
Seacrest Praises Richie for Bringing Positive Energy to the Set Every Day
Kimmel switched gears and commented that he was thinking about Simon Cowell and how his era of American Idol is completely different than how it is now. He wonders if Cowell’s harsh comments would fly in today’s times. Seacrest flipped the script and asked Kimmel how he would be as a judge.
“Inside I would want to do what Simon did, but instead I would be Lionel Richie I guess,” Kimmel admitted through laughter.
Seacrest praised Richie for bringing such fantastic positive energy on set every day. Ever since the music legend joined the judging panel with Katy Perry and Luke Bryan in Season 16, he has brought nothing but good vibes to the show.
“Lionel Richie is the greatest individual walking this planet,” Seacrest said. “The man wakes up every day excited to be himself. He’s the nicest guy.”
Richie explained to Seacrest once that all of his excitement and energy starts out in the morning. After showering, Richie said he wraps himself in a towel, looks in the mirror, and says, “You’re Lionel Richie.” For the rest of the day, he’s able to maintain a constant positive vibe on that reminder alone.
