It appears that despite the exposure of new details regarding Ryan Seacrest's disturbing sexual abuse scandal, E! will still allow him to host their Oscars preshow coverage ahead of Sunday night's award ceremony, according to The Cut.
On Monday, Variety released a detailed account of Seacest's alleged abuse toward his former personal stylist, Suzie Hardy. An internal investigation conducted by NBCUniversal has cited insufficient evidence to support Hardy's claims, but she believes the investigation was biased in order to favor Seacrest.
Seacrest has insisted that Hardy's claims against him were inaccurate, and has even gone so far as to write a lengthy feature for the Hollywood Reporter about being falsely accused. Hardy's statement details an insidious pattern of inappropriate behavior and "years of unwanted sexual aggression" dating back to 2007. Hardy explained that the abuse continued up until she reported Seacrest to human resources, and was subsequently fired from the network in 2013.
The #Time'sUp movement that was initiated in tandem with this year's Golden Globes has since swept the entertainment industry and been responsible for a wider adoption of no-tolerance attitudes toward sexual abusers who just happen to be famous. In light of this, it comes off hypocritical—or blatantly remiss—that someone like Seacrest should be allowed to retain his prominent role in the Oscars preshow.
Fellow celebs are beginning to speak out against this obvious disparity, and Scandal actress Bellamy Young believes it's time for Seacrest to step down from his longtime gig. During the premiere for A Wrinkle in Time on Monday, Young told Variety, "I think this is the time to step aside and let someone of equal talent that is beyond reproach to be in charge." Many activists and supporters of the movement would agree with Young, and the conversations that were initiated during the Golden Globes are likely to be revisited at Sunday's Oscars.
Young further commented, “I know it feels like the rules have changed, so I’m sure people who have been in dominant positions are taken by surprise. Now that someone is asking, do you consent? And we get to say no, people have to accept our no and step aside."
