Culture December 30, 2019

Ryan Seacrest recalls terrifying 1st year hosting New Year's Eve

WATCH: Performances set for New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

As we await the ball drop in Times Square to kick off the next decade, the man who hosts the evening of New Year's festivities joined "Good Morning America" to look back at some of the best moments from the last 10 years.

"I was terrified," Ryan Seacrest admitted of his first year hosting in 2006. "I was stepping into a show that is such a franchise with a legend Dick Clark -- all I wanted to do was prove myself that year and be invited back."

"As Mariah was talking and I was working I wasn't paying attention to a thing because my heart was pounding so much," he added.

This will mark the 48th anniversary of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" show and it will be Seacrest's 15th time playing host, with an incredible lineup of guests, performances and more.

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"We've got the whole country covered -- Lucy Hale is going to co-host with me here in Times Square, she's fantastic so I'm excited about that," Seacrest said.

He also said fans can expect performances in New York City from Sam Hunt, BTS, Post Malone and more.

Then once the ball drops, the Jonas Brothers will sing live from Miami and Sheryl Crow and Usher will perform in New Orleans, where "Pose" star Billy Porter will co-host for the first time.

"The scale of this show is unlike any other broadcast -- it's intense," he said.

There's also a Los Angeles party with Ciarra and Dua Lipa -- "the list goes on and on and on."

"The only thing I'm told that we really have to get right is midnight," Seacrest said. "Just get to midnight on time."

As far as what Seacrest has planned for himself in 2020, he said "I just want to keep on doing what I'm doing."

"I haven't really stuck to the resolution thing. I think every year you want to streamline your focus and you want to spend more time in your own life," he said. "I enjoy everything that I do so much."

"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 31 on ABC.