Never fear, Jane! I'm here.
I actually don't have a problem with people irrationally hating him. There are many that I irrationally hate.
I just don't get the 'joke' aspect. He is a television/music personality, much like Dick Clark. That's his talent. And I think he does it well (though he does irritate the f*ck out of me...but that's just my baggage). I just don't find him to be a joke in the way, say, Tom Cruise is a joke. Seacrest ain't prescribing medical advice and he's not purporting to be a talented actor. He seems to know his place and purpose in the entertainment industry and does that well...and happens to get paid mightily for it.
"I'm so looking forward to a time when all the Reagan Democrats are dead."