Ryan Seacrest’s Bombshell About ‘American Idol’ Revealed: ‘I Was Scared To Death’

Ryan Seacrest has hosted American Idol for 20 seasons and now the television presenter is opening up about his initial experience with the gig after so many years on the show. The 47-year-old appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier this week, sharing his nerves about hosting the show and his ultimate surprise when it gained such popularity.

Speaking to his longtime friend, Seacrest shared that he was “scared to death” when the show first started running. “I remember after every live show I couldn’t see anyone or go to dinner or talk to anyone until I got home and watched it back on television, to see if it was at least okay,” the 47-year-old said. “Now of course I can’t stand hearing myself or seeing myself.”

Seacrest also added that he was also “unsure” about how he came off on television, leading to him watching back the episodes to check that he sounded okay. “I was so excited to be hosting a primetime show. It was live, I was scared to death. I’d never done that before,” he said of the gig. “I was happy to get the second season pickup. In the first few years I was unsure of how I was doing and how the show was coming off as the host of the show.”

The Live with Kelly and Ryan star also shared that DeGeneres was one of the first people he became “best friends with” when moving to Los Angeles, even dropping the surprising tidbit that his current home is DeGeneres’ old house.

Seacrest continues to host the popular singing competition as it heads into its 20th season, joined by judges Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan. The new season aired on February 27th, and while Seacrest may no longer watch himself host, millions of others evidently do.