Former Idol's Host, Brian Dunkleman Says Ryan Seacrest’s Joke Wasn’t Funny

On Tuesday’s American Idol performance show, Ryan Seacrest danced with someone in the crowd during Tim Urban’s performance, made some awkward comments to guest mentor Adam Lambert and even teased that his former co-host Brian Dunkleman would be returning to the show for next week’s Idol Gives Back. The crowd cheered at that comment but fell silent when Seacrest said it was all a joke.

Dunkleman, who only appeared on the first season of Idol, spoke to TV.com about the incident, and was asked if he took it as a “slight.”

“Yeah, I think so, sure — but it was a joke,” he told the site. “Well, it was an attempt at a joke. But unfortunately for Ryan, instead of a laugh, he got applause. That’s never really been his strong suit. But it was a joke, and whether it was mean-spirited or not is irrelevant. A joke’s a joke; you can either take it or you can’t.”

As for Seacrest’s other unusual behavior, Dunkleman says, “The timing doesn’t surprise me. Dancing with the Stars has replaced Idol as the No. 1 show for, what, the last two weeks? I’m sure that’s sending Seacrest into a panic. It’s not surprising that he would act crazy to get attention, or throw my name out there — he’s done things like this before.”