E!'s commitment to standing by its longtime star Ryan Seacrest went off without a hitch Sunday night, as the network's poster child emerged from Oscar night's festivities unscathed one week after accusations of sexual assault went public.
Seacrest was front and center for Hollywood's biggest night, and snagged interviews with some of the biggest stars of the night, including nominees Allison Janney, Christopher Plummer, Richard Jenkins and Mary J. Blige, as well as stars like Bradley Whitford, Rita Moreno and Eiza Gonzalez.
E! maintained early on that Seacrest's job was not in jeopardy in the wake of the allegations, and confirmed to the Daily News that he was set to host the Oscars red carpet as planned.
But the decision made waves around Tinsel Town, especially considering the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted show was the first since Harvey Weinstein's downfall and the subsequent #MeToo and Time's Up movements.
Jennifer Lawrence _ who's slated to present the Best Actress award with Jane Fonda _ said Wednesday the idea of speaking to Seacrest on the carpet presented a dilemma for her, as she's been a vocal proponent of Time's Up.
"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," she told Howard Stern. "I don't know... that is where this stuff gets tricky."
Allison Williams, who starred in the Best Picture-nominated film "Get Out," dazzled on the red carpet in a creme-colored gown at the 90th Academy Awards on March 4, 2018 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Kimmel said he was more than willing to chat with Seacrest.
"Of course I will," he told Variety. "Listen, you know, we should at the very least afford people the opportunity for truth, what the facts of the story are before hanging them out to dry."
E! previously investigated the claims against Seacrest, but cleared the host of any wrongdoing last month after finding "insufficient evidence."
The network reportedly gave itself some wiggle room Sunday with a 30-second delay to its live broadcast in order to filter any potential PR disasters in the vein of Eva Longoria at the Golden Globes.
Longoria gave E! an interview at the Jan. 7 ceremony in defense of Catt Sadler, who left the network over unequal pay. The on-air slip-up led a former producer to file suit against E!, claiming she was fired for letting the interview make it to the airwaves.
Hardy, who worked as Seacrest's personal stylist on "E! News," told the outlet Seacrest grabbed her vagina on multiple occasions, would wrap her in "bear hugs" wearing just his underwear, and once threw her on a bed and grinded his penis against her.
"This person who has accused me of horrible things offered, on multiple occasions, to withdraw her claims if I paid her millions of dollars. I refused. I have worked extremely hard to achieve my success and I don't take my opportunities for granted," Seacrest said in a statement.
"I don't want to accuse anyone of not telling the truth but in this case, I have no choice but to again deny the claims against me, remind people that I was recused of any wrongdoing, and put the matter to rest."
