Ryan Seacrest admits it hasn't sunk in that 'American Idol' is ending.

He said: "It's surreal. It's starting to sink in. But I don't think it will really hit me until I say, 'Goodnight, America,' that one last time."

While he hasn't accepted it is over yet, Ryan has been preparing for the finale of the show and took out the 300-strong crew a few weeks ago to celebrate the end of an era.

He told People magazine: "I took them out as a thank you. It was great."

The popular host has seen a number of changes to the judging line-up over the years, but has particular fond memories of the first seven seasons with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

He said recently: "We had such a good, tight and close relationship.

"We'd say to each other, 'Don't bring up what we were just talking about backstage because it's personal.' But that's exactly what Simon would do, and we'd have a laugh about it. It made the show so much more fun for us."