Despite the detailed allegations against Ryan Seacrest that surfaced Monday, the Hollywood host is still going to appear on the Oscars red carpet for E! Sunday. The network and parent company NBCUniversal may be sticking by their main man, but that doesn’t mean that the stars of the night will be stopping by to chat. According toPage Six, publicists are steering their celebs clear of Seacrest as they walk down the red carpet.
The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have generated backlash against some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and Brett Ratner. In the wake of the Seacrest accusation, publicists don’t want to take the risk. “Usually Ryan is the one you want...but there are so many outlets on that carpet, why risk it? There’s plenty of other places for clients to get the exposure,” one PR powerhouse told Page Six.
Publicists are especially wary to interact with Seacrest if their clients have been actively participating in either of the movements. “If it was a [client who had been involved in the #MeToo movement], I would never put them in that position. I don’t think any smart person would,” another PR source told Page Six.
Seacrest came forward Monday night denying the allegation once again. “This person who has accused me of horrible things offered, on multiple occasions, to withdraw her claims if I paid her millions of dollars," he said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. "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.”
Stylist Suzie Hardy, Seacrest's accuser, responded to his denial on Tuesday. “I was emboldened by the bravery of others to finally and confidentially tell my story to NBC," she told Variety. “Ryan elected to take the story public with a false narrative that he was exonerated and the victim of some sort of money grab. He is not the victim, and I refuse to let him victimize me for telling the truth."
We’ll have to watch E!’s livestream on Sunday night to see if any Oscar noms talk to the sitting king of red carpet banter, or if he’ll be standing there awkwardly as they flock to his partner Giuliana Rancic.
