Love is in the air! Ryan Seacrest already knows who he’s planning to smooch when the clock strikes midnight in Times Square — and even has a backup choice lined up just in case.
“Shayna [Taylor] will be with me, so she will [be my kiss],” the former American Idol host, 45, told Us Weekly exclusively on Monday, December 30, as the crew set up for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020. He added, joking, “Or Post Malone. I don’t know. It could go either way … It depends who’s closest, I guess.”
The radio personality was first linked to Taylor, 27, in March 2013 but the pair broke up less than two years later. In 2016, Seacrest reunited with the personal chef and the two stayed together for nearly three years before Us confirmed their split in February. Seven months later, fans were convinced that the couple had rekindled their romance after being spotted together at the New York City Ballet Fall Gala.
Since reuniting in the fall, the on-off couple has been going strong. Live With Kelly and Ryan cohost Kelly Ripa even thinks Seacrest and the health guru should take their romance to the next level in the new decade. The former soap opera star, 49, reminded her cohost that “it’s very easy” to elope during an October episode of the ABC talk show.
This year marks Seacrest’s 15th time hosting the network’s huge New Year’s Eve bash and his first with Lucy Hale by his side in New York City. The Pretty Little Liars alum, 30, will be on the ground to watch the legendary ball drop in Times Square after previously being part of the festivities in New Orleans.
Despite her nerves about the quick nature of the live event, the Katie Keene star got some expert words of encouragement from the longtime host.
“The thing is, people are mostly drinking while watching us so we don’t have to be perfect,” Seacrest explained to Us on Monday. “Just, like, smile and be halfway decent.”
Hale agreed, teasing, “Halfway decent and kind of read correctly.”
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2020 airs live on ABC on Tuesday, December 31, staring at 8 p.m. ET
With reporting by Marc Lupo
