Will Sexual Assault Allegations Ruin The Oscars For Ryan Seacrest?

Hollywood was shook by sexual allegations against Ryan Seacrest that surfaced last November, and things seem only to be worsening for the E! Network presenter ever since.

An article published by Variety on Monday, February 26th, described in detail the allegations which were made against Seacrest by Suzie Hardy, his personal stylist during the 2007 season of E! News.

Hardy has accused Seacrest of grabbing her crotch, hugging her while wearing only his underwear and forcefully throwing her onto a bed before rubbing his erection on her.

In a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Seacrest denied the 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,” Seacrest’s statement begins.

“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 accused 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,” Seacrest says.

He concludes: “This person who has accused me of horrible things offered, on multiple occasions, to withdraw her claims if I paid her millions of dollars. 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.”

The accusations may appear to cause some difficulty for Seacrest at the Oscars, which will take place on Sunday.

Red Sparrow star Jennifer Lawrence has weighed in on whether or not she will speak to Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet before the ceremony.

When asked by Howard Stern about the allegations against the E! host on the Wednesday episode on The Howard Stern Show,  Lawrence said she was not a judge or a jury, she also admitted not being up to speed on the allegations.

After the radio host explained the accusations, which Seacrest has denied, the actress seemed in disbelief saying, “I can’t imagine him being sexual.”

However, Lawrence said she had other reasons to consider not talking to Seacrest or anyone from E! on the night, including her issues with the show Fashion Police and also former E! News host Catt Sadler’s equal pay dispute.

“I have noticed that they keep cycling these women and I am going… is that so you don’t have to pay another woman equally to Jason [Kennedy]? Is this just a way to still maintain that you are not paying women equally?” she said.

When Stern asked again if she would stop and do an interview with Seacrest, Lawrence said, “I don’t know about the Ryan Seacrest thing.”

It will be certainly interesting to see how events unfold on Sunday night.

• celebrity
• e!
• Jennifer Lawrence
• Ryan Seacrest