Jennifer Lawrence isn’t sure how she’ll handle Ryan Seacrest if she runs into him at the Oscars on Sunday.
The E! News heavy hitter and talk show host has been trying to maintain his reputation in the wake of sexual harassment allegations made by his former stylist Suzie Hardy.
According to Hardy, Seacrest first sexually assaulted her in 2008 but the unwanted behavior continued for years after. Seacrest has vehemently denied all such accusations and written them off as “reckless.”
Nothing has been proven and E! News claims it’s conducted and concluded a thorough investigation but have found “insufficient” evidence to back up the allegations. He’s still hosting “Live With Kelly And Ryan,” and he still plans to work the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday.
But Jennifer Lawrence isn’t sure who to believe. She chatted with Howard Stern this week and,when he asked whether she’d talk to Seacrest at the Oscars this weekend, she answered vaguely.
“I don’t know about the Ryan Seacrest thing,” she said. “I think it is scary, you know? He has not been to trial for anything. I am not a judge. I am not a jury, you know. I don’t know…that is where this stuff gets tricky. There are already outlets that I’m just like, ‘Nah.'”
“So it wouldn’t be that big of a deal [if I didn’t talk to E!].”
She followed up by saying she’s long had a problem with E! News as a whole.
“I mean, there is a lot to think about with E!, you know?” she said. “I have always had a problem with the ‘Fashion Police.’ I don’t have a problem with talking about what women are wearing. There was a time they were…they were just mean about people’s bodies, things you shouldn’t say.”
She also mentioned their issues with alleged pay gaps between their male and female hosts.
The big takeaway here though is that Jennifer Lawrence — an outspoken feminist — isn’t immediately disavowing Ryan Seacrest. And this could mean one of two things.
Either she’s pretty terrified of the power Seacrest wields, as many female actresses felt as allegations about Harvey Weinstein broke, or she doesn’t believe Hardy’s story. Either way, it’s not really a good look for such a staunch women’s rights crusader.
Of course, all of these allegations have not been proven and there’s a chance Ryan Seacrest is completely innocent in all of this. That’s both his story and E! News’ story. However, the accusation seems pretty formal and pretty damming, so there’s no way to know the real truth behind all of this. Seacrest could be in for a very awkward Oscars this Sunday.
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