Meet Ryan Seacrest’s younger sister Meredith: what their relationship is really like

Ryan Seacrest may not have expanded his own family just yet, but he is a doting uncle to his niece Flora, his younger sister Meredith Seacrest Leach’s daughter.

The American Idol host and his sister are super close, and not only that, but they work together as well.

Most recently, they collaborated on a children’s book titled The Make-Believers, which was released October 8, and “celebrates the surprising strength of a child’s wild, wonderful imagination and how it can change the whole world.”

Though she once said on A Drink With that: “Working with my brother and parents was the one thing I was most nervous about,” in the decade that they have done so, they have found a perfect balance that works for them.

Get to know more about Meredith below.

She and Ryan have a small family

Meredith and Ryan were born in a small town outside of Atlanta, Georgia, Dunwoody, to parents Gary and Constance “Connie” Seacrest; Gary and Connie are both originally from Pennsylvania though they met as adults in Atlanta when he was in the army and she was working for a bridal salon.

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Both of the siblings’ parents are only children, so they don’t have any aunts or uncles, meaning Ryan was especially excited when Meredith welcomed the newest Seacrest into the fold in 2018, her daughter Flora.

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Meredith is a producer and businesswoman

Similar to Ryan, Meredith previously worked as a producer, for shows such as Nashville Star, MasterChef and The Buried Life, before coming to work for her brother at the Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF), where she serves as executive director and chief operating officer.

Per the foundation’s website, she was “a driving force behind the conception and development of the foundation since its inception in 2009.” The foundation serves as an “organization dedicated to inspiring pediatric patients through entertainment and education focused initiatives.”

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Her bio on the website further reads: “In her current role, she manages and cultivates relationships with key partners and donors in entertainment, healthcare, education and technology, while strategizing financial campaigns and programs to help continuously advance the organization. Prior to overseeing the foundation, Meredith was the Director of Creative Affairs at Reveille, now known as the production company EndemolShine North America.”

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Her family life

In 2016, Meredith married Jimmy Leach, who at the time was an executive for the footwear brand TOMS, and has since become an advisor and board member for apparel company Swiftwick. When they married in Mexico, Ryan served as his sister’s “man of honor.”

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They have since moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where RSF is based, and in December 2018, they welcomed daughter Flora Marie.

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What she’s said about working with Ryan

Though Meredith was initially “nervous” to work with her family, she told A Drink With: “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.”

“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,” she added, noting: “It is refreshing and helps us maintain balance, otherwise it would be too much.”