About her romance with ex Ryan Seacrest

When Julianne started dating Ryan Seacrest in 2010, she was introduced to a new world: a world of luxurious vacations, Lakers courtside seats and glamorous date nights.

“The rug got swept out from under me and I just flew,” she said on an August 2024 episode of Dax Shepard‘s podcast Armchair expert. “I experienced things I didn’t even know existed. But then I had this insecurity where I was like, ‘I never want anyone to think I’m with them for this reason. So then I started playing smaller.'”

And Julianne saw herself change.

“I, again, overcompensated, was malleable to fit exactly what someone needed to be happy,” she added. “What I’ve realized over the years is that I don’t know if I’ve ever really been in love with someone, but I’ve enjoyed the feeling of being loved. And so let me be what I need to be, so that I can be loved. And because I am so filled with someone’s love, of course I love you. I love everyone. I’ve been in love with everyone I’ve ever dated, but is that true? I don’t want to overanalyze it because every person I’ve been in a relationship with has been a really good person.”

When Julianne and Ryan split in 2013, she noted, many “Brentwood moms and producers” questioned the decision.

“They say, ‘Your life is all set,’” she said. “And I thought, ‘But I didn’t build it.’ And of course I thought, ‘I have to create this,’ in a competitive way, ‘it’s not mine, and I want to feel the pride of doing it.’