It was business as usual on the Tuesday, February 27, set of Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Just one day after a former stylist for Ryan Seacrest accused him of sexual misconduct, the 43-year-old made no mention of the allegations on his ABC morning talk show. Instead, he and cohost Kelly Ripa bantered about teeth whitening procedures, the Instagram account @CommentsByCelebs and the upcoming Academy Awards. (Us Weekly confirms that he will still be hosting the Oscar red carpet on March 4.)
Suzie Hardey told Variety on Monday about her alleged experience working as Seacrest’s personal stylist for E! News from 2006 to 2013. She made several claims, including one that he threw her onto a hotel room bed when she was helping him get ready for the 2009 Academy Awards. The American Idol host was allegedly in his underwear at the time and had a visible erection.
In 2010, Hardy claims Seacrest quizzed her about her boyfriend at the time, “Have you f—ked him yet?” When she asked him to not to speak to her like that, he allegedly grabbed her vagina in response.
Seacrest is denying all the allegations. His attorney told Us Weekly in a statement on Monday: “On January 31st the network notified us that their independent third-party investigation had concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support her claims, effectively, clearing my client’s name. It’s telling that after my client refused to pay her money, and the E! investigation resulted as it did, that she is no coming forward to share her debunked story to the press.”
E! released a statement to Us on Monday, following Variety’s report: “E!’s investigation was extremely comprehensive and thorough. Over the course of a two month process, our outside counsel interviewed more than two dozen people regarding the allegations including multiple separate meetings with the claimant. The investigator is an attorney with nearly 20 years experience and is highly regarded professionally. Any claims that question the legitimacy of this investigation are completely baseless.”
