NEED TO KNOW
Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough are reuniting — onscreen!
The exes, who dated for three years, are both set to take on hosting duties for this year’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026, marking Seacrest’s 21st time hosting the show.
While Seacrest, 50, will once again helm hosting duties from the heart of New York City’s Times Square on Dec. 31, Hough, 37, is set to make her co-hosting debut alongside returning NFL star Rob Gronkowski, with the duo hosting the celebrations live from Las Vegas.
Seacrest will be joined by his returning co-host Rita Ora, who will help lead the night’s iconic countdown in N.Y.C. Last year, Seacrest praised Oa’s hosting duties, telling PEOPLE, “I was blown away [last year.] I knew she was talented, but this is not something you can just do.”
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This year’s show will once again span multiple time zones, with the celebrations kicking off in the Big Apple and continuing through Las Vegas, Chicago, Puerto Rico and beyond, per a press release.
Chance the Rapper will co-host the celebrations in Chicago, leading the CT countdown. Details for the Puerto Rico celebration will be announced soon, per the release.
The release also teases “another major performer lineup” which is set to be unveiled in the “coming weeks.”
Performers over the last few years include Sabrina Carpenter, Lenny Kravitz and Carrie Underwood.
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Seacrest and Hough dated for three years from 2010 until 2013 after first meeting when she wen on his radio show.
Last year, Hough reflected on the end of their relationship during a podcast appearance and called Seacrest “a lovely guy.”
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While appearing on the Armchair Expert with host Dax Shepard, the Dancing with the Stars co-host said she never wanted people to think she was “using” Seacrest, as they started dating amid her rise to fame, while he was already an established presenter in the TV and radio industries.
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“The rug was swept up from underneath me, and I was just flying, and I was experiencing things that I didn’t even know existed,” Hough said. “But then I had this insecurity that I was like, I don’t ever want anybody to think that I’m with him for this reason.”
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“I overcompensated, was malleable to fit into exactly what somebody needed me to be for them to be happy,” she explained. “And what I’ve realized over the years is I don’t know if I’ve ever truly been in love with someone, but I have loved the feeling of being loved. And so let me be what that needs to be so that I can be loved.”
She continued: “And then because I’m so filled with love from someone, of course I love you. I love everyone. I’ve been in love with everybody I’ve ever dated, but have I? I don’t wanna overanalyze it because every person I’ve also dated has been a very good person.”
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026 airs Wednesday, December 31, live on ABC beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST, and next day on Hulu.
