Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman at FOX-TV's "American Idol" finale at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Ca. Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002. Photo by Kevin Winter/ImageDirect
Brian Dunkleman is, if nothing else, a name recognizable enough for you to have clicked on this article.
He’s also a comedian and former “American Idol” co-host whose IMDb page boasts appearances on shows like “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place,” “3rd Rock from the Sun” and “That ’70s Show.” And he’s back in our cultural sightline this month just in time for the very premature return of a reality singing competition series that maybe, possibly ruined his career trajectory.
Yeah, “Idol.”
Since his days on the Simon Cowell-humiliation vehicle, Dunkleman has watched as his former sidekick, Ryan Seacrest, climbed the ranks of the entertainment industry, ultimately finding a gold-plated throne on the front lines of live TV.
Meanwhile, Dunkleman sadly faded from the pop culture stage, save for a couple media and network appearances. Until, that is, recent sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against his ubiquitous ex-counterpart, and Dunkleman decided to comment on the drama unprovoked.