All About Ryan Seacrest's Sister, Meredith Seacrest Leach

Ryan Seacrest's sister is the executive director of his foundation

Ryan Seacrest works closely with his younger sister, Meredith Seacrest Leach.

Like her brother, Meredith wears many hats, but her primary role is running their family's nonprofit, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF). According to the organization's website, she helped establish RSF in 2009 and currently serves as the executive director and COO.

In a 2018 interview with the web series A Drink With, she said that their father, Gary Seacrest, inspired their collective work ethic.

"My dad taught us that you are learning more when you are listening rather than when you are talking," she said. "[Ryan] really took that to heart. He would always say, 'I wasn’t necessarily the smartest, but I would get there early and stay late.' "

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The Seacrest siblings were raised in Dunwoody, Georgia, a small town just outside of Atlanta, by their parents, Gary and Constance “Connie” Seacrest. Ryan was born first on Dec. 24, 1974, followed a few years later by Meredith, who arrived on Oct. 25, 1980.

From their childhood to their collaborations, here's everything to know about Ryan Seacrest's sister, Meredith Seacrest Leach.

They were raised in Georgia

Gary and Connie were childhood friends from Pennsylvania who reconnected as adults in Atlanta.

In a 2019 interview for On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Connie said that when they met in adulthood, Gary was in the Army, and she was working at a bridal shop.

"It was just totally love," she said. "When the timing is right, it’s just right.”

The Seacrests married on Feb. 21, 1970, and welcomed their two children, Ryan and Meredith, in the following years. They stayed in the area and raised their family in the suburbs of Atlanta in Dunwoody.

They attended the same college

Ryan and Meredith have followed similar career paths from the start. They both studied journalism at the University of Georgia, but only Meredith graduated — Ryan dropped out after his freshman year to move to Hollywood. In 2016, he received an honorary doctorate from the university.

"The best path we can choose for ourselves follows our hearts more than our heads," he said in his commencement speech. "Even before I stepped on the campus here, 24 years ago, there was a voice inside telling me there was somewhere else that I should be."

Ryan continued, "I was almost 20 years old. I was scared to death. But at the same time, I was never more sure of anything in my life."

He also took a moment to give a shout-out to his sister. "I also want to say hello to my family including my sister Meredith who continues to be involved with the journalism school here. What's up, Mere? Big props, big props, Mere," he added.

Ryan was the "man of honor" at her wedding

In 2016, Meredith married Jimmy Leach, an executive at the footwear brand TOMS, in a small ceremony in Mexico.

Ryan was by her side as her "man of honor" after she asked him to play the part via a framed poem, which the American Idol host shared on Instagram.

“You’ve been by my side all of my life, and I wouldn’t want you anywhere else, when I become a wife,” it read. “I’m so lucky to have you as my brother, and couldn’t imagine celebrating with any other. ... Will you be my Man of Honor on my special day?!”

Ryan's caption nodded to the close relationship between the siblings. "I have a role in my sisters wedding....just shed tear," he captioned his post. "Love u mere."

She runs the Ryan Seacrest Foundation

RSF launched in 2009 with the mission of building broadcast media centers in pediatric hospitals.

According to the foundation’s website, Ryan is the founder and chairman, Gary is the CEO and president, Connie is the vice president of community affairs and hospital relations, and Meredith is the executive director and COO.

Meredith told A Drink With that after they built their first studio in Atlanta, Ryan asked her to leave her job in Los Angeles to run the organization.

"The foundation for him was not something he wanted to start to just cut a check to," she said. "He wanted something tangible that he could actually do that would give back."

Prior to her role at RSF, Meredith helped produce shows like Nashville Star, MasterChef and The Buried Life, and managed communications for Entertainment Tonight and The Insider.

She lives in Nashville

Meredith relocated to Nashville when RSF announced its headquarters there in 2018. The Nashville Post reported that the offices are somewhere along the famous Music Row.

"My parents are in Atlanta, and [Jimmy's] are in Arkansas, so it was perfect," Meredith told A Drink With. "There is such a sense of community, and we can get around without traffic. We fell in love with the city."

She has one daughter

According to On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Meredith and Jimmy welcomed their daughter Flora Marie Leach in Nashville on Dec. 10, 2018.

Ryan and his then-co-host Kelly Ripa called his little sister while she was in labor when they were filming an episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan.

"I think he is more excited than me," Meredith told A Drink With when she was pregnant. "Our parents are both only children, so we have no aunts, uncles or cousins ... Everything that happens in our family is just with us! We not only work together, but we also have no other family members."

Ryan frequently shares photos of Flora on his Instagram, including a December 2023 post wishing her a happy birthday. He wrote in the caption, "Being your FUNcle is the gift that keeps on giving."

They wrote a children's book together

In March 2024, Ryan and Meredith announced that they co-authored a children's book titled The Make-Believers. The siblings told PEOPLE that the book — which features illustrations by artist Bonnie Lui — was inspired by their active imaginations as kids.

"From a young age, we discovered that our imaginations doubled as tools to dream big and travel far," they said. "We used our imaginations to envision an extraordinary life, like the ones we saw in the movies and television or in magazines and books."

The Make-Believers will debut in stores on Oct. 8, 2024.

She enjoys working with Ryan

Meredith told A Drink With that her biggest hesitation about leaving her TV job in L.A. was mixing work and family. But after over a decade of doing it, she and Ryan have found their groove.

"Working with my brother and parents was the one thing I was most nervous about... because I love my family," she said. "When we get together on the weekends and are having pizza and having a good time, that is not the time to interject with work."

To combat this concern, the family set boundaries around free time and work time.

"We make sure to know the difference and not blur the lines. I don’t want Ryan to think every time we hang out that I am going to ask him for 10 things," Meredith shared. "It is refreshing and helps us maintain balance, otherwise it would be too much."

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