What Happened Between Julianne Hough & Ryan Seacrest? A Look Back at Their Split
Twelve years after their split, Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest are reuniting to host Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026. Seacrest will be at his usual post in New York City with cohost Rita Ora, while Hough will be cohosting the Las Vegas celebration with Rob Gronkowski.
Hough and Seacrest dated for three years from 2010 to 2013 before they split. Scroll down for everything we know about the breakup and where they stand today.
What happened between Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest?
Hough appeared on the Armchair Expert podcast in 2024 and said her insecurity about Seacrest’s level of fame during their relationship contributed to the split. At the time of the relationship, she was just getting her start in the entertainment industry, while he was already established as a host and media personality.
“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 explained. “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.”
Hough admitted that she “overcompensated” in the relationship and became “malleable to fit into exactly what somebody needed me to be for them to be happy.”
Of the breakup, Hough recalled, “I had a lot of these Brentwood moms and producers in that world that were like, ‘What are you doing?’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ They’re like, ‘Your life is completely set up.’ And I was, like, ‘But I didn’t build it.’”
What is the age difference between Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest?
Hough and Seacrest have a nearly 14-year age difference, as she was born in July 1988 and he was born in December 1974. When the relationship began, Hough was 22 and Seacrest was 35.
In a 2012 interview with Glamour, Hough said the age difference was not an issue, but added, “He’s always joking about it.”
How did Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough meet?
Seacrest and Hough met when she appeared on his radio show with ex-boyfriend Chuck Wicks. Hough and Wicks met as partners on Dancing With the Stars in 2009 and did a joint interview on Seacrest’s radio show.
“The interview’s on YouTube, and I blush when I hear it because Ryan is hitting on me the entire time,” Hough recalled to Glamour in 2012. “At the end, Ryan said something like, ‘You guys really have something special!’ And I thought to myself, ‘He’s so full of s**t right now!’ When Chuck and I broke up, I wanted to be single. That lasted five months. Then Ryan and I went on a date.”
She also revealed that someone tried to set her up with Seacrest when she first moved to L.A., but she was engaged to a guy she knew from Utah at the time.
Where do Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough stand now?
Hough and Seacrest remain amicable today. In fact, Hough was once again a guest on Seacrest’s radio show in 2022, and he explained, “There is nothing uncomfortable about [our relationship] because we remain friends for years and still are.”
Seacrest was also hosting Live With Kelly and Ryan when Hough married Brooks Laich in 2017 (they’ve since gotten divorce), and sent his ex well wishes during the talk show.
“She looks stunning,” Seacrest commented. “I know this family and they are terrific people … super talented, she is, so congratulations, Julianne! Happy to see you happy.”
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026, Wednesday, December 31, 8/7c, ABC
