The sexual harassment and abuse allegations against Ryan Seacrest won’t keep him from working the red carpet Oscar night.
E! has confirmed that Seacrest will be doing red carpet hosting duties before the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Earlier this week, the TV personality’s former personal stylist told Variety that Seacrest sexually harassed and assaulted her over seven years.
Suzie Hardy says she was terminated in 2013 after she reported Seacrest to E! News’ human resources executives. She said she initially accused Seacrest of behaving inappropriately toward her in November, although she was then unnamed. Hardy identified herself publicly after feeling the person hired by E! to investigated her allegations “was whitewashing it for Seacrest’s side.”
Seacrest has repeatedly denied the accusations. An E! News investigation reported there was insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest, according to Deadline Hollywood.
Though Seacrest is expected to interview celebrities before the Oscars, a few might be asking him the questions if what happened at the Golden Globes is any indication.
Seacrest repeatedly interrupted actress Michelle Williams as she tried to talk about gender equality during the red carpet interview before the Globes. Seacrest also avoided talking about the Times Up movement with male interviewees, except for one aside to actor Armie Hammer.
“I see your Time’s Up pin right there,” Seacrest said. “Well done.”
Seacrest released a statement Tuesday afternoon about Hardy’s allegations.
“Much has been said about the #MeToo and Times Up movement(s) and the importance of providing women and men with the opportunity to share their stories of workplace misconduct, in an effort to change our culture and the systemic inequalities that exist.
“I absolutely support this cause unequivocally and applaud all the brave souls who have come forward to share their stories.
“Sadly, last fall I became one of the accused, which I promptly revealed proactively to the network involved and to the public. And to be equally clear, those accusations were then investigated by an independent third-party over the course of a two-month process and involved dozens of interviews that included me, the accuser and countless others.
“Ultimately, my name was cleared. I eagerly participated in the investigation in order to demonstrate my innocence because I know my truth, and I believe in due process.
“Yesterday, Variety published a salacious story that revealed the specific claims against me for the first time – even though an independent third-party investigator found insufficient evidence to support the claims.
“Much to my dismay, Variety didn’t speak with me or bother to speak with other credible witnesses or even ask for any of the evidence that was obtained during the investigation when offered, all of which clearly challenged the veracity of the claims made against me.
“This person who has accused me of horrible things tried to buy her silence by asking for money on multiple occasions — I refused. I have worked extremely hard to achieve my success and I don’t take my opportunities for granted. I don’t want to accuse anyone of not telling the truth but in this case, I have no choice but to again deny the claims against me, remind people that I was recused of any wrongdoing, and put the matter to rest.”
An E! spokesperson released a statement to HuffPost claiming the investigation was extremely comprehensive and thorough, saying that its two-month process involved outside counsel who “interviewed more than two dozen people regarding the allegations, including multiple separate meetings with the claimant and all firsthand witnesses that she provided.” E! Entertainment added: ”Any claims that question the legitimacy of this investigation are completely baseless.”