How Close Were Giuliana Rancic And Ryan Seacrest?
Giuliana Rancic and Ryan Seacrest were on-air partners for years. They may be best remembered for working red carpet events together, but the pair was also "E! News" co-anchors. Their on-air partnership came to an end in 2021. Seacrest was the first to announce his departure from working on "E! Live From the Red Carpet" broadcasts. He told fans in an Instagram post. "I'll miss the whole crew that works so hard behind the scenes and of course my amazing partner Giuliana. Thanks to everyone for watching all these years," Seacrest wrote in the post from February 2021. now this; Rancic didn't stick around long after her partner left, and she departed E! for a developmental deal with their parent company NBCUniversal. "After 20 fabulous years hosting E!'s red carpet, I have decided to step out of my red carpet heels into a new pair of shoes," she wrote on Instagram in May 2021.
Years after they departed from the network, fans still missed the duo. "Today's kids will never know that the E! Red Carpet was lit when Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic hosted," a fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in February 2024.
If you assumed their camaraderie was a camera-only affair, think again. Rancic took to Instagram to shine a spotlight on her friend and former co-host at the outset of the 2020 awards season — and it wasn't her first time reminiscing about their tight-knit connection.
Giuliana Rancic's sweet memories with Ryan Seacrest
Three years after stepping down as an anchor on "E! News," but long before she departed the network in 2021, Giuliana Rancic made her grand return in June 2018, this time sharing the desk with Jason Kennedy instead of Ryan Seacrest — though the two would still work together on the network's red carpet coverage. A few months into her return, Rancic caught up with Seacrest and spoke about the show's golden era.
Rancic was a guest on "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" in September 2018, where she discussed her decision to rejoin "E! News," which came after she chose to step away from her reality show. Looking back at her time working alongside the "American Idol" host, Rancic shared fond memories. "I started on E! News in 2002 ... and you came on board in 2006 and you were there a long time," she recalled to Seacrest. Even though they brought an air of professionalism together, Rancic reminisced about the laughs they shared. "We would try to make each other bust ... like mess up ... Those were some great days. Those were the good old days," she added.
Later that year, the red carpet correspondents reunited for the Pink Agenda charity event in October 2018 — an event that helps raise money for breast cancer research. Rancic was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and spoke about her decision to go public with the news on an episode of "E! News" with Seacrest at the time. It seems the co-hosts and friends have shared a lot of memories.
Giuliana Rancic gushed over Ryan Seacrest
Celebrating a decade of working on "E! Live From the Red Carpet" together, Giuliana Rancic gushed over Ryan Seacrest in a heartfelt Instagram post that included a throwback photo. "Excited to announce another red carpet season with my friend @ryanseacrest!!!" she wrote in the post from December 2015. "Here we are at our first red carpet together in 2006 and 10 years later, there is no one I would rather be with on #LiveFromTheRedCarpet!!!" Rancic added. Seacrest reposted the upload to his timeline and added a cheeky caption. "What gift do we get each other for 10 yrs together?" he wrote in reference to their momentous on-air anniversary.
To celebrate Seacrest's decade-long service on the red carpet show, the network put together a compilation of the host's highlights through the years. Rancic was effusive when discussing her long-time partner. "[Seacrest] Has a really big heart and he's a really good friend," she told E! in February 2016. A couple of years later, Rancic once again celebrated the anniversary of working alongside Seacrest. "12 years ... thousands of laughs ... hundreds of stars ... and one amazing red carpet bff," she wrote in an Instagram post from March 2018.
Though it's unclear if they still catch up often, possibly hindered by their hectic work schedules, the memories they've created seem to cement an enduring friendship.