Ryan Seacrest Admits His Mom Has ‘Given Up’ On Him Having Kids

Getty Ryan Seacrest.

Between “American Idol,” “Live! With Kelly and Ryan,” his iHeartRadio shows, and an array of other hosting gigs throughout the year, Ryan Seacrest keeps pretty busy.

So busy in fact that his team once staged an intervention to get him to take time off. In May 2020, Seacrest worried fans when he appeared on “American Idol” with a drooping eyelid, slurring his words. After the incident, a rep for Seacrest told PEOPLE that the “American Idol” host had “been juggling three to four on-air jobs over the last few weeks”  and was “in need of rest.”

In a December 2021 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Seacrest, who will turn 47 on Christmas Eve, revealed that his mother isn’t holding her breath for him to settle down and have grandchildren. “She’s given up on me,” he said.

But, Seacrest says he does want children and wants to start taking more time off from work. “I start thinking about blocking off certain times in my month or year or week to focus on my personal life,” he told the outlet. “I do want to have kids. But I haven’t even gone down that path, which is nuts at my age. I think in the last year, it’s become clear to me that yes, I do want to do that.”

Seacrest Was Seen With His Current Model Girlfriend at Jingle Ball

Rumors that Seacrest was dating 24-year-old model Aubrey Paige Petcosky first began to swirl in May 2021 when The Daily Mail published photos of the couple in the Hamptons together. They were spotted again in October, strolling down the streets of New York City.

In June, a source close to the couple told Us Weekly that Seacrest and Petcosky were “very happy together and doing great.” On December 15, Seacrest hosted iHeartRadio’s annual Jingle Ball. The Daily Mail published photos of Seacrest and Petcosky leaving the event together.

Petcosky is represented by Select Model Management. Her Instagram account is private.

Seacrest Has Spoken About Maybe Wanting Kids Before

According to PEOPLE, in an October 2020 taping of his radio show “On Air With Ryan Seacrest”, Seacrest revealed how his attitude towards having children has changed.

“I said a few weeks ago, ‘I’m not so into it,’ and then I saw some of my friends’ kids get excited about it. Then I see my niece, and she’s so beautiful,” Seacrest said, adding that seeing his co-host SISANIE happy with twins had also changed his perception. “If you asked me when I was 40 a few years ago, ‘Do you want kids?’ (I’d say), ‘I don’t know,’ and now all of a sudden, all I can think about is, ‘Wow, how do I do that? I’m getting older. What are the options?'”

Seacrest Is Learning to Slow Down

In the Wall Street Journal profile, Seacrest acknowledged the 2020 incident where he looked exhausted and out of it on “American Idol.”

“It’s personal, but I definitely knew that I needed to slow down…I just had burnt myself out. I was absolutely beat and fatigued and just wasn’t letting myself accept that. Now I do,” he told the outlet.

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