Yahoo News Ryan Seacrest Reveals Holiday Plans, from Spoiling His Niece to Kissing Girlfriend Aubrey Paige on NYE
Roy Rochlin/Getty Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest is ready to close out 2022 by making more memories.
On Dec. 31, he'll return to Times Square in New York City to host his 18th year of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. There, he'll be joined by his girlfriend, model Aubrey Paige, who he said doesn't mind having to share him with millions of Americans on that day.
"She's pretty confident, and she's coming along to watch," Seacrest, 47, tells PEOPLE. "It's pretty remarkable to see the ball drop right there underneath it. But yeah, she'll be there by my side."
Paige, 25, of course, will also be Seacrest's midnight kiss. "I'll get in trouble if I don't [do it]," he jokes.
Despite this year's New Year's Rockin' Eve being his 18th time helming the special, Seacrest says he still feels like he's "trying to prove myself."
"I feel like the first time I did it, I had to prove myself, and I feel the same way every time I get on the air," he says. "But it's become a little easier, and I quite like the elements. If it's raining or snowing or windy, that adds to be excitement of it."
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In Times Square, Seacrest will be joined by returning co-host Liza Koshy and performers Duran Duran, j-hope, Jax and New Edition. Jessie James Decker will also be on hand for her fourth year of announcing the New Year's Eve Powerball winner.
Similar to the 2022 event, Billy Porter will host a portion of the New Year's Eve party from New Orleans to ring 2023 in central time. In Los Angeles, DJ D-Nice will host the west coast bash, which will feature performances by Wiz Khalifa, Finneas, Armani White, Betty Who, Dove Cameron and Nicky Youre.
Ciara will host the Disneyland portion of the special, which will also see her take the stage to perform a medley of her singles "Better Thangs" and "Jump." Fitz and The Tantrums, Maddie & Tae, Shaggy, Ben Platt, Aly & AJ, Halle Bailey, TXT, Bailey Zimmerman and Lauren Spencer-Smith will also perform at the happiest place on Earth.
"It's all the great artists from the year," Seacrest says.
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On the morning of the big day, Seacrest says he'll likely get himself going with some coffee and exercise. Then, it's straight to business.
"We do the whole show top to bottom for rehearsal, and then we go right into the live show," he says. "So it's a busy day, but I like to get up and just sort of decompress, relax, have my favorite coffee and then go to work."
After years of eating Virgil's BBQ before going on air, Seacrest says he now waits to eat a big meal.
"Virgil's was not a good idea before going on air because it's very salty and heavy," he says. "I think this year I'll actually go out for dinner if there's a place open late enough. But it's not a good idea to have barbecue before you're going on the air for five-and-a-half hours live. I had to learn that the hard way. I also got sushi for a while and that's salty, so it makes it difficult to speak sometimes."
Before New Year's Eve, Seacrest will get almost two weeks off to spend Christmas with his family, including his adorable 4-year-old niece Flora.
"She's now a little person, with a personality and sense of humor," he says. "I love spending time with her, and I love getting her gifts. Kelly [Ripa] told me the name of it, but I got her a fake horse, which is apparently pretty popular and she loves to ride it. I'm getting her a dog next year. Since I don't have kids, she's become the closest thing to it."
Beyond the gifts, it's "all about fun, fondue and paella" with Seacrest's family on Christmas Eve (his birthday) and Christmas Day.
"It's all about the food," he says. "This year we're doing a cheese fondue, which is new. We normally do a beef fondue, so we're going to do a cheese fondue to start and then a beef fondue. Then I'll have to have bone broth for five days to fit into my tux after that."
In 2021, Seacrest told PEOPLE that his goal for 2022 was finding hobbies outside of work. Now, as he looks back on this year, he says he's successfully "done that."
"I'm trying to learn how to make olive oil, which is so fun, and also wine," he says. "So I found a vineyard, an olive orchard, and I'm trying to learn how to make organic wines and olive oil."
In 2023, Seacrest says his goal is "to try and pursue more balance in life so that I can have time to pursue the hobbies."
Jeff Neira via Getty
With that said, Seacrest already has a busy 2023 with the season 21 premiere of American Idol coming up on Feb. 19.
"The season is going to be really great," he says. "We found some great contestants, a lot of country singers as one might expect."
"Every time we go out on the road we think, 'OK, did we tap out on all the great talent?' But what we've seen, honestly, is the contestants who are 7, 8, 9 years old, they practice like an athlete to audition when they can," he continues. "They take it very seriously, whereas in the earlier years, they kind of just did it on a whim. These kids rehearse for it, and they treat it like an Olympic sport in a way."
Next, Seacrest says he'd love to explore doing a game show or a food show.
"I think those would be the two priorities for me because I would love to do a game show with a schedule," he says. "I would love to dive into some sort of a series as my passion, and that's food and travel. Next year, I think we should all focus on what makes up happy."
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Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 will air live on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
