“American Idol” emcee Ryan Seacrest will host the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on Fox next month.
The announcement comes a week after Mr. Seacrest was tapped to host the entertainment portion of Fox’s Super Bowl broadcast next year.
The move ends weeks of speculation about who would host Fox’s presentation of the Emmys. Networks typically select from their own talent ranks, often a late-night talk show host, or sitcom stars. Though Fox is the top-rated broadcast network, there are few personalities on the reality-driven network that fit the bill for an Emmy host.
Mr. Seacrest is considered a safe choice for the job considering his widespread hosting experience. In addition to Fox’s top-rated “Idol,” Mr. Seacrest is co-anchor of “E! News,” co-host of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and hosts a weekday Los Angeles radio show “On Air With Ryan Seacrest.”
“Ryan Seacrest appeals to a broad audience, including the highly desirable young adult demographic, so he should serve as a magnet for attracting a diverse array of viewers to our Emmy telecast,” said Dick Askin, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy. “He is charismatic and talented, and he will be very comfortable in the production environment that has been created for this year’s telecast.”
The 59th Emmy Awards will air live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Sept. 16 on Fox.
(Editor: Romanelli)