Ryan Seacrest’s American Idol contract close to being signed
According to a new report coming in right now via TMZ, Seacret’s deal is set to run somewhere over $10 million for the upcoming season over at ABC. The reports are that he initially was looking for somewhere in the $15 million range, ABC / Fremantle offered up $10 million, and they settled somewhere in between but closer to the latter number.
Obviously, this salary is far lower than the $25 million that Katy Perry is getting to be a judge, but we don’t think that anyone out there expected that Ryan was going to get that kind of money. The judges are typically the more expensive commodities, though we would argue that the host is just as important, if not more so, given that you have to be able to be able to handle all the personalities, relate to the contestants, and ensure that the show runs smoothly from the start of the competition straight through to the end. It’s a far more challenging job than anyone would ever imagine that it would be, just because you have someone like Seacrest who is so adept at going up on stage and making it look almost as though it’s seamless even when it’s not anywhere close to that.
Filming for the new season with Seacrest, Perry, and the other judges will probably happen later this fall after all of the auditions are over. (If you do want to try out, you can do that by heading over to the link here and reading up on the necessary information.) The other two judges have yet to be hired, but given the fact that ABC and Fremantle are spending more than $35 million on just the host and the lead judge alone, you’re going to need some more cost-effective options. This is why an alumni could be a good choice, though the same could be said for someone with experience as a recording executive who could offer up knowledge much in the way that Simon Cowell once could. Also, it’d help if they had the time to do chemistry tests with Perry to make sure they are a good fit.
What do you think: Is Ryan getting what he earned for the new season of American Idol? Be sure to share in the attached comments! (Photo: Fox.)