Oscars red carpet: Jennifer Lawrence may refuse to speak to Ryan Seacrest after sexual harassment allegations

'There are already [news] outlets that I'm just like, 'Nah'. So it wouldn't be that big of a deal'

Jennifer Lawrence has said she is not sure whether she’ll stop to speak to E!’s Ryan Seacrest on the Oscars red carpet this Sunday, with the TV host facing allegations from his former publicist that he sexually harassed her for six years.

“I can’t imagine him being sexual. I don’t know about the Ryan Seacrest thing,” the actor told Howard Stern. “I think it is scary. He has not been to trial for anything. I am not a judge. I am not a jury. I don’t know... that is where this stuff gets tricky.”

Though she added: “There are already [news] outlets that I’m just like, ‘Nah’. So it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

Lawrence noted that her issues with the network may have wider causes, pinpointing Catt Sadler’s departure from the network over issues of pay inequality. The pair are working together on a docuseries focused on gender inequality and the #MeToo movement.

“They aren’t bringing another co-star up,” she said. “I have noticed that they keep cycling these women and I am going, is that so you don’t have to pay another woman equally to Jason [Kennedy]? Is this just a way to still maintain that you are not paying women equally?”

She further added: “There is a lot to think about with E! 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 just mean about people’s bodies, things you shouldn’t say.”

E! has decided to stand by Seacrest following the allegations, saying this week that he will maintain his position on the red carpet at this year’s Oscars ceremony. Lawrence, however, is likely not the only star mulling over whether to skip over E! on the red carpet.

“I don’t think [Seacrest is] going to have a great time on the carpet,” one longtime Hollywood publicist told CNN.

Suzie Hardy alleged that the American Idol presenter made aggressive and unsolicited advances towards her when she worked for him at entertainment network, E! News.

She told Variety magazine that he would slap her, hug her while just wearing underwear and repeatedly cup her crotch with his hand.

It is the first time she has been publicly identified and details of her claim were disclosed. Seacrest made the woman’s allegations public last November after Ms Hardy’s lawyer got in touch with him. He strenuously denied them, calling them “reckless” in a statement.

“Recently, someone that worked as a wardrobe stylist for me nearly a decade ago at E! News, came forward with a complaint suggesting I behaved inappropriately towards her,” it read. “If I made her feel anything but respected, I am truly sorry. I dispute these reckless allegations and I plan to cooperate with any corporate inquiries that may result.”

E! carried out an internal inquiry into Ms Hardy’s accusations, but in January it said that it had discovered insufficient evidence to back up her claims. Ms Hardy, whose employment with the network ended in 2013, said she thought the investigation was incomplete and one-sided.

But in a statement earlier this week, E! insisted its investigation by an external lawyer was “extremely comprehensive and thorough” and that “any claims that question the legitimacy of this investigation are completely baseless”.

Seacrest’s lawyer Andrew Baum said the decision by Variety to publish Ms Hardy’s story was upsetting.

He said the magazine was “told that the accuser threatened to make those false claims against him unless he paid her $15 million. At that time, the claimant threatened to issue a demonstrably false press statement unless she was paid. Instead, my client proactively and publicly denied the claims and agreed to fully cooperate with E!’s investigation about the matter.”

Writing in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, Seacrest said: “To have my workplace conduct questioned was gut-wrenching. I’ve always aimed to treat all of my colleagues with honesty, respect, kindness and compassion.

“Yet, I knew, regardless of the confidence I had that there was no merit to the allegations, my name would likely soon appear on the lists of those suspected of despicable words and deeds. The pressures of our overflowing newsfeeds would insist on it. I absolutely want to be part of the change, the progress, that is coming. I did not want to be a postscript of evidence of its cause.”

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