Ryan Seacrest Slammed By ‘American Idol’ Fans For Being ‘Nasty’ To Singers

Television personality and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest is receiving heat from fans after the April 24th episode, during which, according to viewers, he made one contestant believe she was in the Top 12 when she wasn’t, and told another contestant, “We might lose you tonight.”

The New Year’s Rockin’ Eve host was slammed in a viral Reddit post on the subreddit r/AmericanIdol following the episode for being, in one commenter’s words, “such a d–k tonight” and “brutal” to the contestants.

Not Such A Rockin’ Eve For Seacrest

On the Reddit live discussion thread for April 24th’s Top 12 reveal episode, fans were sharply divided on their perception of Ryan’s comments and actions during the suspenseful episode.

After contestant Michael Williams sang a version of Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me,” Ryan told Michael, “You sang ‘Lose You to Love Me’…we might lose you tonight.” This remark triggered instant backlash from Redditors, with one saying the comment “was so nasty omg.” One commenter responded, “I laughed so loud my dog barked.”

At another point in the show, Ryan seemingly led contestant Oliva Soli to believe she was chosen for the Top 12, when she was not. "F--- how Ryan Seacrest told Oliva Soli that she wasn't in the top 12. He made her believe she was in, we were ALL confused. THIS is why you need to just say "You're in or your [sic] not in" instead of this b---h a-- trickery, OK? DAMN," ranted one Twitter user. A Redditor offered some advice, saying "Ryan, come ON. Be more clear when you’re crushing these people."

One critic vented their feelings about the host in all caps on the Reddit thread: "RYAN THAT WAS JUST EVIL WTF."

Fans Comment: 'That Was Just Evil'; 'No Better Host'

American Idol devotees weren't all critical of the singing competition's host: one Redditor complimented Ryan on "keeping this episode moving at breakneck pace without it feeling rushed," adding "That's why he deserves his paycheck."

Others agreed, with one comment calling Seacrest the "hardest working man in television." A commenter pushed back, asking if the poster was being sarcastic with this claim as, in their opinion, "this quite possibly is the worst he's ever been on an AI episode," but the original poster responded definitively: "It’s not sarcastic. He’s driving the plane. One syllable out of step and the whole show falls apart. I’ve never seen anyone do what he can do."

Fans on Twitter also made sure to praise the longtime American Idol host—a Twitter user tagged Ryan in a Tweet gushing, "you are truly a professional. No better host. We’ve never missed an episode of American Idol and you are one of the reasons."

Ryan recently left Live with Kelly and Ryan (now Live with Kelly and Mark) on April 14th after 6 years co-hosting the morning show with Kelly Ripa, citing a desire to move to Los Angeles; the show is filmed in New York City.