“American Idol” In Middle Of Multimillion Contract With Ryan Seacrest, Potential Salary Smaller Than New Judge Katy Perry; Will He Leave “Live!”?

Since ABC announced that it is reviving the reality singing competition, “American Idol,” on its own network, there have been several names linked to join or return to the show. One of those big names is perennial host Ryan Seacrest, who has remained mum about his potential involvement in the show.

However, several reports are saying that Seacrest is said to be set for the show’s second return as the host. Seacrest is said to stand to earn somewhere between USD10 million to USD15 million to return to the longest-running reality competition, once he and ABC irons out their contract details. But the amount appears to pale from what the network has inked in a deal they made with pop star Katy Perry, who will be coming in as a new judge in a USD25 million contract.

Celeb Dirty Laundry believes Seacrest’s salary isn’t exactly good news for fans of the new “American Idol.” The site posits that the two coming together means the show will have to hire the two other judges at a much lower salary, which could also mean that they may not be the big names people should expect for a famous show.

Moreover, there is also the question of his other jobs. Seacrest, who just signed up as a co-host to Kelly Ripa at “Live” just last month, might feel stretched once filming for the new “American Idol” starts.

“Many feel as though Seacrest will leave Live! after his contract expires so that he can move back to Los Angeles in time for Idol to start. The only other feasible way that this would work is if American Idol was filmed in New York. If Seacrest had to fly back and forth from New York to Los Angeles a couple of times a week, that would be pretty exhausting,” the Inquisitr said.

Seacrest has yet to address the rumors about his potential return on “American Idol.”