Remembering Brian Dunkleman: The Forgotten Season One Host of 'American Idol'
The other Ryan Seacrest recently joked about the show's cancellation.
Who or what is a Brian Dunkleman? That's a question we asked ourselves when news outlets began picking up his tweet about American Idol (finally) ending in 2016:
And then it hit us: Ah, yes, Brian Dunkleman was the original Season 1 co-host of American Idol, the dark, spiky-haired personality next to Ryan Seacrest's side.
But what happened to Mr. Dunkleman and why was he not along for that money-making ride? According to reports, the co-host quit American idol after its freshman season to pursue a career in acting and comedy. But let's face — that plan hasn't exactly worked out. (A stint on Celebrity Fit Club does not count.) Another reason he decided to leave the show was because he didn't like "watching those kids being brought to tears." Check out a regretful Dunkleman in a clip with Joy Behar:
Okay, so maybe Dunkleman made a huge career mistake. How could he possibly have known that American Idol would drag on for fifteen seasons and become a game-changing phenomenon? Either way, the show pretty much went downhill after Season 1, so it's not like he missed out on much:
With that said, let's hope the Dunk makes a proud return sometime during American Idol's final season. If not, here's to hoping American Dunkleman pans out. We're rooting for you.
