‘I really do owe him a lot’: Ryan Seacrest on Sam Rubin

Sam Rubin used to joke that many big names received their success because of him.

Well, at least we’d like to think he was joking.

One of those big names is Ryan Seacrest.

Now he’s known around the globe for his various hosting projects, but over 25 years ago he filled in for Sam on the KTLA 5 Morning News. Once his career took off, our Sam reminded the “American Idol” host where he got his start.

“I really do owe him a lot when it comes to my career because he went on vacation 27 years ago and somehow I had my bleach blonde highlights, Kenneth Cole suit and I came in dressed up to fill in for him,” Seacrest told KTLA 5’s Eric Spillman and Frank Buckley.

Known for making it to work just in time, when Seacrest asked what time he should arrive for his report at 5:48 a.m., the producers joked that Sam would often arrive at 5:47 a.m.

“I rolled in and did his segments and everybody just spoke so highly of him and I got to know him well over the years,” he reflected.

Years ago both men would see each other during their commutes to work, Seacrest on his way to KIIS-FM and Sam to KTLA and they’ve often looked out for each other.

“We would get to the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Highland every day at the same time for a very long stoplight and if one of us wasn’t there at that long stoplight, he in his messy Volvo and me in my Honda Prelude, if one of us wasn’t there- something was wrong. Like you were concerned one of us overslept or is running late.”

Both men recently reunited at Disneyland’s California Adventure for the 2024 Pixar Fest. Seacrest said that no matter how much time had passed, when they reconnected they’d immediately pick up where they left off.

During that meetup, Sam pitched himself to Seacrest to replace Katy Perry on the judges panel of “American Idol.” Seacrest couldn’t help but chuckle when explaining the story.

“Sam was one of those guys that made you laugh all the time. I was always impressed by his sense of humor, his skillset, his ability to make everybody feel so important,” he said.

While the word legend is tossed around a lot in Hollywood, Sam was one and many like Seacrest looked up to him.

“I would watch him in awe do his work on the red carpet. He would talk to every single person and make them feel like the biggest star in the world and know so much about them. I would have to study them for weeks and barely memorize what we had to talk about. He had an ease about him and the levity too to make us all feel comfortable.”

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