Ryan Seacrest isn’t happy with how much he was initially offered to return as a host on ABC’s ‘American Idol’ — and Katy Perry’s to blame.
via Page Six:
Seacrest, who hosted the show on Fox for 15 seasons, was set to emcee the reboot until Perry — said to be getting $25 million as an “Idol” judge — bragged last week on 103.5 KTU: “I’m really proud that, as a woman, I got paid. And you know why? I got paid, like, more than like pretty much any guy that’s been on that show.”
Sources say ABC initially offered Seacrest over $10 million.
“[He] was suddenly asking himself why he would come back for a 16th season at a salary [much smaller than that] of the newcomer judge,” Richard Rushfield, author of “American Idol: The Untold Story,” wrote in his e-mail newsletter, the Ankler.
Since Seacrest is already employed in New York at “Live With Kelly & Ryan,” and “Idol” would require weekly cross-country trips to LA, he “has grown notably cooler on the prospect,” Rushfield reported.
An ABC spokesman told me: “We don’t comment on negotiations or salary.”
“Ryan isn’t pleased with the protracted negotiations,” a source familiar with the talks said. “But he is hopeful that a deal can be reached given his affection for the show.”
Ryan definitely deserves to make more money for his return than Katy does — but $25 million seems WAY too high for either of them.
