American Idol secrets have been revealed!
On Wednesday, Mike Darnell, the former president of Fox's alternative programming, dished to Love Connection host Andy Cohen about the show he ran up until 2013 at the TV Academy.
While Darnell left the network in 2013, he still had years of secrets to spill, like how Ryan Seacrest almost wasn't the host of the show!
At the time, Seacrest's dad was his manager and turned down the initial offer.
"He wasn't going to come in," Darnell revealed. "I had to literally get on the phone with his father."
It all ended up working out though and when the show premiered in 2002, Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman were co-hosts. But it was Secreast who remained on the show throughout its run.
What else did Darnell share about American Idol?
Take a look at the E! News video above to find out more behind-the-scenes AI secrets!