Ryan Seacrest Reveals How He Navigates His ‘Jam-Packed’ Schedule (Exclusive)

Ryan Seacrest juggles a lot in his career — but he insists that his busy schedule doesn’t cut into his sleep time.

“I do sleep. Everyone asks me, do I sleep?” he says in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the YES Scholars 25th Anniversary Gala in Los Angeles on Thursday, Sept. 4.

“It’s like, I go to bed immediately, and I get a good night’s sleep,” Seacrest, 50, continues, before admitting, “But it’s pretty jam-packed in between the sleeps.”

The radio and TV personality also shared his go-to sleep hack for when he’s away from home.

“I have a special pillow I travel with. So everywhere I am, I’ve got my own pillow that makes me fall asleep pretty easily,” he says.

Seacrest is currently busy hosting Wheel of Fortune. He was announced as the new host of the long-running game show in July 2023, just weeks after Pat Sajak revealed that he planned to retire after the 41st season.

Seacrest’s new gig came months after he made his last appearance as a full-time co-host on Live with Kelly and Ryan in April 2023. He worked alongside Kelly Ripa on the daytime talk show for six years.

The star also hosts American Idol, oversees his weekly syndicated radio program, On Air with Ryan, runs the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and published his debut children’s book, The Make-Believers, in October 2024, among many other ventures.

In addition to carving out time for his myriad work projects — and some sleep — Seacrest also has been juggling a difficult family situation. In July, he broke down during an emotional broadcast of his radio show as he updated fans on his dad’s prostate cancer journey.

He shared that the cancer “got worse and it spread,” and also that his dad contracted pneumonia during a chemotherapy session.

“When this happens to somebody or someone really close to you that you love, this is a hard thing to see, because the treatments that are commonly recommended can be barbaric to the system,” he said at the time. “They can cause so much damage to your body in other ways.”

Later in the broadcast, he said: “Cancer affects every one of us in some way, and it. And it sucks. And the treatments suck … treatments are tough. But I know he’s going to get through this.”

Amid his father’s cancer struggle, Seacrest has been finding joy in spending time with his niece, Flora Marie, the daughter of his sister, Meredith Seacrest Leach. The 6-year-old even has a special name for him, he told PEOPLE at Thursday’s gala.

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“I have a sweatshirt that my niece made, and I’m called the Funcle. It says Funcle on it. I wear it proudly,” he reveals, referring to the term “fun uncle.”

Seacrest says the two love to watch Disney movies together.

“I’m catching up,” he says. “As a young guy, I didn’t see all the princess movies, so now I’m seeing all the princess movies, which is a lot of fun.”

He adds: “She loves to go get Shirley Temples. We do that, and she loves to try and get me to do gymnastics, and I’m failing.”