Celebrity News
exclusive

Publicists to steer stars away from Seacrest on Oscars red carpet

E! network execs say that Ryan Seacrest will host their Oscars red-carpet coverage on Sunday, in spite of shocking allegations that emerged Monday that he subjected his personal stylist to “years of unwanted sexual aggression.”

Seacrest has strenuously denied the claims, alleging that he’s being shaken down for cash and citing an investigation by E! parent company NBCUniversal that cleared him of wrongdoing.

Regardless, top Hollywood publicists tell Page Six that they will steer many of their stars away from Seacrest on the Oscar red carpet.

Given the white-hot emotions and politics surrounding Hollywood abuse — and the seriousness of the allegations made against Seacrest — the flacks said they would instead direct their clients to Seacrest’s co-host, Giuliana Rancic, or skip E! altogether.

“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 us.

Another PR source said it would depend on the client, but “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.”

The insider chatter comes as a star of ABC’s “Scandal,” Bellamy Young, called for Seacrest to sit out the event.

“I think this is the time to step aside and let someone of equal talent that is beyond reproach to be in charge,” Young told Variety.

Young later retracted her remarks saying she was “uninformed” about Seacrest’s circumstances.

She said, “I apologize to Ryan Seacrest. He has been exonerated from the allegations I was told about on the carpet, so my opinion is different now… I’ve learned that ‘I don’t know’ can be a complete answer. I will do better next time.”

On Monday, Variety revealed that lawyers for Seacrest’s former personal stylist, Suzie Hardy, claimed that the star abused her by, among other things, “grinding his erect penis against her while clad only in his underwear, groping her vagina and at one point slapping her buttock so hard that it left a large welt still visible hours later.”

In a lengthy statement on Tuesday, Seacrest said that after an intensive investigation, “Ultimately, my name was cleared” and “I have no choice but to again deny the claims against me.”