Will celebs avoid Ryan Seacrest on the Oscars red carpet?
Top Talkers: The New York Post reports publicists will be steering their clients clear of Seacrest at this weekend's Academy Awards as claims of sexual misconduct have resurfaced.
Ryan Seacrest wasn't his typical showman self at this year's Academy Awards. The television mogul, who has recently been accused of sexual harassment and denied the claims, was reportedly "uncomfortable" while working the annual Oscars red carpet.
According to Us Weekly, a source said Seacrest wasn't himself while hosting E!'s annual "Live from the Red Carpet" show.
“Ryan was uncomfortable with all the attention,” the source said. “He just wanted to do his job, but he was uncomfortable with the spotlight and being scrutinized.”
E! has been a household name for award shows' red carpets since the day Joan Rivers changed the game by asking celebrities, "Who are are you wearing?" And with the network's long-standing prominence with red carpet coverage, celebrities normally flock to chat with Seacrest and the E! News crew. But this year, things were different. The line for Seacrest's interviews was reportedly shorter than in previous years.
However, the source that spoke to Us Weekly claimed that there was "no one on the carpet for the first hour” of E!'s coverage.
“People came really late,” the source said. “A lot of people only did photos and the pre-requisite ABC interview for nominees and presenters, and a lot of people didn’t even walk the carpet.”
Despite the accusations against Seacrest, the host managed to chat with a few A-listers such as Allison Janney, Christopher Plummer, Mary J. Blige, Taraji P. Henson, Whoopi Goldberg and Tiffany Haddish.
And though Seacrest managed to wrangle in some A-list stars, powerhouse Oscar nominees such as Meryl Streep, Margot Robbie, Timothée Chalamet and red carpet favorite Jennifer Lawrence did not stop at the E! red carpet spot. Lawrence previously said on Howard Stern's radio show that she wasn’t sure whether she’d stop to talk to Seacrest.
Seacrest, 43, a longtime host for E!, which is owned by NBCUniversal, has in recent months been facing accusations of sexual misconduct from his former stylist — all of which he’s denied.
Suzie Hardy told Variety she was fired in 2013 after she made graphic complaints of harassment against Seacrest to E!’s human resources department. Hardy accused the E! and ABC star of grinding his erect penis against her while he was only wearing underwear, groping her vagina and slapping her so hard on her bottom that she suffered for hours from a large, visible welt.
Despite the allegations, E! has stood by Seacrest, stating on Feb. 1 that an investigation found there was “insufficient evidence to support the claims” made against him.
Critics have slammed the network for letting the “Live with Kelly and Ryan” co-host continue his hosting duties Sunday in Hollywood as the #MeToo movement picks up steam.
Host Ryan Seacrest presides over the 11th season finale of "American Idol" in Los Angeles, California, May 23, 2012. (REUTERS)
Prior to Sunday's award show, Deadline reported that the network was considering running the show on a significant delay so that it could avoid broadcasting any moments that hang a lantern on the allegations against Seacrest and distract from the larger red carpet coverage.
E! denied that anything unusual is being done to protect Seacrest, however, it didn't deny there was a delay on the live show.
“It’s business as usual,” an E! spokesperson told Fox News in a statement. “As always, we tape multiple sources of content simultaneously to deliver the best possible show, and there are often brief delays between interviews.”
Fox News' Nicole Darrah contributed to this report.
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