Ryan Seacrest And Julianne Hough Reveal The Truth About Their Relationship Today

Two reality worlds collided when "Dancing With the Stars" judge Julianne Hough and "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest began dating in 2010, not long after Hough split from country musician Chuck Wicks. They grooved together until 2013, and by many accounts, their split was an amicable one. At the time, insiders even told People that the exes were on such friendly terms that they still kept in touch with each other.

In 2010, sources told TMZ that they overheard Hough telling her friends that Seacrest had been pursuing her since she was 18. But the man who helped build the Kardashian empire and the KINRGY founder reportedly fell prey to what seems to be one of Hollywood's biggest relationship killers: their busy schedules. "It's a lifestyle [Hough] couldn't handle anymore. Work always, always came first [for Ryan] She wants a more lowkey life," an insider told Us Weekly in March 2013. Seacrest did have a lot on his plate at the time. In addition to hosting "American Idol" and producing "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," he was busy hosting major television events, including "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve," and hitting the red carpet at the Emmys, Grammys, and more. Hough, meanwhile, had taken a break from the "DWTS" ballroom, but was busy pursuing country music and acting careers, per Parade.

So was this ambitious couple's split really as clean and cordial as some reports made it seem, and how do Hough and Seacrest feel about each other today?

In a June 2012 interview, Julianne Hough told E! News that she was feeling some pressure from her family to marry Ryan Seacrest, which seems like a sign that things were going fairly well for the couple. "It means that they like him, right?" she pointed out.

One member of Julianne's family was present on March 4, 2022, when Seacrest interviewed his ex-girlfriend. She and her equally talented brother, Derek Hough, appeared together on "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest" to promote their ABC special, "Step Into... The Movies with Derek and Julianne Hough," but naturally, Seacrest had to address the elephant in the room. He claimed that he wasn't the least bit uncomfortable, but Derek confessed, "It's awkward for me." Julianne then revealed, "We're friends. We chat." Julianne (jokingly, we think) asked Seacrest to address "what happened" to cause their breakup, but all he would say is that they've "remained friends for years and still are."

While they may be on good terms now, in 2014, Julianne told Redbook "there was nothing right" about their relationship, adding, "I had one foot out because I didn't want to get hurt." Unfortunately, she confessed that she never communicated these feelings to Seacrest while they were together. We don't know if the two friends ever had a heart-to-heart about Julianne's fears after their split, but during her "On-Air" interview, she did say that there's nothing but "respect and love" between them these days. Awww!