Exes Ryan Seacrest & Julianne Hough Reuniting for ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2026’

Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough will be sharing the screen together next month as both are set to take on hosting duties for the annual Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC.

For the 21st time, Seacrest will be hosting the New Year’s special from New York City’s Times Square on December 31. Several co-hosts will join him from across the country and beyond, including Hough, who will make her co-hosting debut alongside returning NFL star Rob Gronkowski. Hough and Gronkowski will preside over the celebrations in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Seacrest and Hough first met when the latter appeared on the American Idol host’s radio show. They later began dating and were in a relationship for three years from 2010 until 2013. Despite the break-up, the pair remain on friendly terms, with Hough referring to Seacrest as “a lovely guy” when she appeared on the Armchair Expert podcast last year.

While the former couple is sure to interact via satellite link on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, they won’t be sharing the same physical space. While Hough co-hosts the festivities in Vegas, Seacrest will be joined in NYC by chart-topping singer Rita Ora, who will help lead the night’s iconic New York countdown.

ABC

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Elsewhere, Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper will host the action from his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. There will also be a broadcast from Puerto Rico, with details of hosts and guests to be announced soon.

ABC has yet to confirm performers for the event, though it promises “another major performer lineup [is] set to be unveiled in the coming weeks.”

Last year, Carrie Underwood headlined the evening with a performance in Times Square. Other artists who have appeared on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve over the years include Sabrina Carpenter, Lenny Kravitz, Alanis Morissette, Jonas Brothers, Duran Duran, and more.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is produced by Dick Clark Productions, with Ryan Seacrest, Michael Dempsey, and Barry Adelman serving as executive producers.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026, Wednesday, December 31, beginning at 8 pm et, ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu