Ryan Seacrest Announces Huge Project With Sister Meredith Ahead of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Debut

Ryan Seacrest teamed up with his sister, Meredith Seacrest Leach, on his latest project — and they are both “so excited!”

The siblings announced that they coauthored a new children’s book called The Make-Believers, which will be released this fall.

“The idea behind The Make-Believers is so important to us, as it was inspired by our own childhood growing up just outside of Atlanta,” the brother-sister duo told People in an interview published on Tuesday, March 5. “We both wondered what life was like beyond our everyday surroundings and from a young age, we discovered that our imaginations doubled as tools to dream big and travel far.”

“We used our imaginations to envision an extraordinary life, like the ones we saw in the movies and television or in magazines and books,” they continued.

The announcement came just as Ryan, 49, is preparing for his Wheel of Fortune hosting debut later this year. The entertainment mogul will be taking over for Pat Sajak in season 42.

“I’m so excited,” he said during a visit to Good Morning America on February 12. “I’ve been watching it for so many years, like so many people here in this country.”

Obviously, the American Idol host has some big shoes to fill when he steps into the game show world.

“Pat Sajak is such a legend,” Ryan added. “He makes it look so easy and smooth and seamless. He’s remarkable.”

While fans are upset to see Pat, 77, go, Vanna White revealed she will be remaining on the program as the show ushers in a new era.

“He was just so kind. And he goes, ‘No one’s ever gonna replace Pat, I’m not trying to replace Pat,'” she told E! News in October 2023 of gearing up to work with Ryan. “I’m just thrilled to be able to work with you and I’ll do whatever it takes. Please teach me whatever I need to know.’ So that was really nice.”

As fans wait to see Ryan step into the iconic role, they’ve loved seeing his relationship blossom outside of the TV world with his girlfriend, Aubrey Paige Petcosky. For the first time ever, Ryan shared a series of photos of his girlfriend on his Instagram page on Valentine’s Day. The pair have been dating since the summer of 2021.

“Happy #ValentinesDay @aubreypaige_ , can’t wait to eat that cookie dough with you but first, @disneyparks churros,” the radio host captioned the sweet post.

It isn’t just fans who are rooting for Ryan’s relationship to go the distance. His mom, Connie Seacrest, is hoping that Aubrey, 26, is The One.

“Connie knows that Ryan’s nervous about proposing, but he’s let too many nice girlfriends go. Aubrey’s a wonderful girl, and Connie can tell she’ll be a good mom,” a source told Closer last month. “Connie can help plan a proposal, but there’s not much she can do about a grandchild — other than hope for one!”