Ryan Seacrest, Julianne Hough Break Up UPDATE: "American Idol" May Be Next To Dump Popular TV Host

After a split with long-time girlfriend and former Dancing With The Stars pro Julianne Hough, Ryan Seacrest may have one more breakup to worry about. According to an insider source that talked to Perez Hilton, Seacrest may be getting ousted from his long-held hosting gig on American Idol.

The breakup rumor comes as Fox's former ratings juggernaut (American Idol) struggles to retain viewers. An unnamed inside source relayed the following information to gossip blogger Perez Hilton.

"Producers and TV executives are very concerned about how much lower the show can actually fall. This is bad news. Very bad news ... When you are getting beat by Grey's Anatomy and Scandal in the demo, changes have to be made ... One suggestion is going back to square one and finding two industry insider judges, like Simon [Cowell] and Randy [Jackson] were during season one, plus, a Paula Abdul type - someone in the industry past his or her prime. This way they can turn the judges into stars rather than the other way around. Another radical idea is going back to how the show began and finding a young host that isn't yet a household name. It would save the show a lot of money."

If Fox does decide to end their relationship with Seacrest, it will be the second such split in as many weeks for the TV mogul. Seacrest and Hough recently ended their two-year relationship. They claim that the separation was due to "hectic schedules" but sources close to the couple say that the 38-year-old Seacrest and 24-year-old Hough were feeling the age difference.

He's older, already established and set in his ways, and he was getting tired of telling her to lay off the alcohol and stop overindulging. They constantly fought because he wanted her to slow down and she wanted him to lighten up and enjoy life more," the unnamed source said.

Both Hough and Seacrest appeared to get over the breakup rather quickly. Hough and Seacrest were spotted living it up at the beach and attending Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience release party respectively.

Seacrest will likely get over a split with Idol equally quickly. The executive producer and host has his name on so many lucrative television and radio properties that it is unlikely he will dwell on an American Idol booting for very long.

What do you think? Would American Idol fare better without Ryan Seacrest? Is it Seacrest's fault that the show is struggling?

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