Taraji P. Henson appeared to throw more salt in Ryan Seacrest‘s wounds Sunday night. 
 
 While chatting with E!’s embattled host about best supporting actress nominee Mary J. Blige, the “Hidden Figures” actress had a few choice words for Seacrest, 43, who was accused of sexual misconduct by former stylist Suzy Hardy. 
 
 “The universe has a way of taking care of taking care of good people,” Henson, 47, said, touching his chin. “Know what I mean?” 
 
 Henson immediately doubled down on the Seacrest shade as she moved on to her next interview. 
 
 “I’m great now that I’m in your company,” Vulture’s Mark Harris tweeted as Henson spoke with ABC’s Wendi Mclendon-Covey. 
 
 Seacrest was first accused of misconduct by Hardy in November, alleging he grabbed her crotch multiple times. E! concluded its investigation last month, noting they had found “insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest.” The “American Idol” host has vehemently denied the claims against him. 
 
 “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,” Seacrest said in a statement. 
 
 The show did go on for Seacrest Sunday night, amid speculation he would be snubbed by A-listers on the red carpet. He found an ally Blige, 47, who said he is “fighting for his life right now.” 
 
 This article originally appeared in the New York Post's Page Six. ||||| There's a sexual misconduct elephant in the room on E!'s Oscars Live From the Red Carpet, and his name is Ryan Seacrest. 
 
 After Variety recently published a report detailing ex-E! stylist Suzie Hardy's serious harassment and assault allegations against Seacrest, the network doubled down, stating their long-time anchor would still fulfill his duties on Sunday. Awkwardness ensued, as the #MeToo and Time's Up continued to be a central topic of discussion. 
 
 The night's major stars responded to E!'s stance with a cold shoulder, simply avoiding interviews with Seacrest. Earlier in the week, actresses like Jennifer Lawrence expressed doubts about interviewing with him. 
 
 And indeed, the most talked-about celebrities of the evening were conspicuously absent from his list of interviewees. Out of the twenty people Seacrest interviewed, only two were actual Oscar nominees, with Allison Janney up for supporting actress and Christopher Plummer up for supporting actor. 
 
 But the spectre of allegations hung even over those interviews. 
 
 Seacrest asked Christopher Plummer about the difficulty of only having nine days to shoot his part in Ridley Scott's All the Money in the World. Though it was on everyone's mind, neither of the men addressed the fact that Plummer was on a time crunch because his scenes were reshoots to replace accused predator Kevin Spacey. 
 
 Holy shit Taraji just put a curse on Ryan Seacrest 😂 pic.twitter.com/GSknn3NozF — Sara Jean Hughes (@sarajeanhughes) March 5, 2018 
 
 Empire's Taraji P Henson gave him a very pointed smile and message, saying, "You know what, the universe has a way of taking care of the good people, you know what I mean?" Seacrest paused, before replying with a meager, "I agree." 
 
 But mostly, E! filled up time with cuts to co-anchor Gulianna Rancic's roundtable discussion, while Seacrest took what he could get. 
 
 Certainly, the #MeToo discussions on the Oscars red carpet were much more tame than at previous carpets this awards season. During the Golden Globes red carpet, Debra Messing called out E! during her E! interview about its Catt Sadler pay gap controversy. 
 
 Reportedly, this is by design. Hollywood Reporter published an article with unnamed sources claiming that E! was planning to run the red carpet live broadcast on a 30-second delay, in order to avoid those kind of ambushes again. These reports made it extra awkward when Rancic boasted that, "The unexpected moments happen quickly on this red carpet and you'll see them live only on E!" ||||| As Ryan Seacrest took to the red carpet tonight at the Oscars, observers wondered whether time would be up for the TV personality who is confronting a renewed allegation of sexual misconduct. 
 
 Speculation swirled about whether E!’s red carpet host would endure snubs after his former stylist, Suzie Hardy, went public with her allegations against Seacrest — charges he has repeatedly denied. There were no awkward #MeToo moments Sunday, but in a sign of the network’s nervousness, it mulled implementing a 30-second delay in the live broadcast from the Dolby Theatre. The network released a statement saying, in effect, nothing to see here. 
 
 “It’s business as usual,” said an E! spokesperson. “As always, we tape multiple sources of content simultaneously to deliver the best possible show, and there are often brief delays between interviews.” 
 
 Seacrest did snag interviews with Oscar nominees Allison Janney and Mary J. Blige, who kept the conversation focused on their film projects (as opposed to who they were wearing). Presenter Taraji P. Henson made things a bit more pointed when she remarked to Seacrest, “The universe has a way of taking care of good people — do you know what I mean?” 
 
 LIVE With Kelly and Ryan’s Kelly Ripa even extended her co-host an arms-length hug from the red carpet and complimented his performance. A number of musicians dropped by to share the mike, including Common and Oscar-nominated songwriters Diane Warren and Mary J. Blige. 
 
 Still, E!’s Oscar coverage leaned heavily on co-host Giuliana Rancic’s interviews with celebrities from The Roosevelt Hotel. Those A-listers who didn’t stop by to chat with Seacrest from the red carpet turned up in fashion commentary from celebrity stylist Jason Bolden, and Elaine Welteroth, former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue. ||||| Ryan Seacrest began E!’s red carpet coverage with the announcement that “it promises to be a very special evening.” But the burning question was: would it be a lonely one for him? 
 
 Though there was speculation that the stars – especially the female ones – would snub Seacrest in light of allegations that he sexually harassed a former stylist, the E! host wasn’t left holding the mic. Nominees Allison Janney and Mary J. Blige stopped to chat with Seacrest, who kept the attention focused on their projects and not what they were wearing. The only times things got personal was when presenter Taraji P. Henson grabbed his chin to say “the universe has a way of taking care of the good people” as she was waxing on about Blige while Baby Driver’s Eiza Gonzalez told Seacrest to “be good” at the end of her interview. 
 
 There were compliments, too: Kelly and Ryan co-host Kelly Ripa stopped to tell him how good he was doing and Tiffany Haddish said she was proud of him. And he was never truly alone with the E! coverage: Giuliana Rancic and other network hosts towed a lot of the line from the nearby Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. 
 
 Seacrest has denied the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him by former E! stylist Suzie Hardy, claiming his accuser asked him for money on multiple occasions. 
 
 Here’s who stopped to talk to him on the carpet: 
 
 Diane Warren, nominee for original song 
 
 Miguel 
 
 Gael García Bernal 
 
 Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos 
 
 Allison Janney, nominee for I, Tonya 
 
 Christopher Plummer, nominee for All the Money in the World 
 
 Andy Serkis 
 
 Richard Jenkins, nominee for The Shape of Water 
 
 Bradley Whitford, Lil Rel Howery, Betty Gabriel from Best Picture nominee Get Out 
 
 Donald Sutherland, honorary Oscar winner 
 
 Rita Moreno, presenter 
 
 Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver) 
 
 Mary J. Blige, nominated for Mudbound 
 
 Andra Day and Common, nominated for original song from Marshall 
 
 Taraji P. Henson, presenter 
 
 Whoopi Goldberg 
 
 Tiffany Haddish 
 
 Around 4:54 p.m. PT, he joined Rancic and the others at the Roosevelt Hotel. ||||| All five women competing in this year’s Oscar race for Best Actress avoided what is typically the “must do” interview of the red carpet — a chat with Ryan Seacrest. 
 
 Amidst accusations of sexual misconduct against the busy E! News host — which he vehemently denies — his traffic at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater was noticeably lighter this year, especially when it came to stars nominated in key awards categories. 
 
 Margot Robbie (“I, Tonya”), Frances McDormand (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird”), Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water”) and Meryl Streep (“The Post”) all skipped the E! spot on the Oscar carpet. 
 
 Also Read: Oscars: Adam Rippon's Bondage Tux Has Social Media Swooning 
 
 Seacrest also declined to walk the red carpet before he began his hosting duties, breaking with his tradition of several years. He did land interviews with nominees like Mary J. Blige (“Mudbound”) and Richard Jenkins (“The Shape of Water”) as well as high-profile presenters and attendees like Tiffany Haddish. 
 
 During his segments on the broadcast, cohosted by Giuliana Rancic, Seacrest avoided any talk of the sweeping #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have blanketed awards-season conversation since the Harvey Weinstein scandal erupted. 
 
 Hours before the carpet commenced, Deadline reported that Seacrest would be afforded a 30- second delay from the network in case he was rejected live by talent, or in the event that anyone confronted him about the accusation on the air. The network denied it, saying no such measures would be taken and the show would be “business as usual.” 
 
 Less than a week ago, Seacrest’s accuser, former stylist Suzie Hardy, came forward with the specifics of a harassment claim she raised with E! owner NBCUniversal last November — including accusations that Seacrest groped her genitals and pressed his erection against her. 
 
 A formal investigation from the network said Seacrest was innocent of any wrongdoing. His lawyer also said Hardy sought $15 million in exchange for her silence. Hardy hit back and said Seacrest was pushing a “false narrative.” ||||| Suzie Hardy was a single mother with a preschool-age daughter when she landed a job as Ryan Seacrest’s personal stylist for “E! News” in 2007. The position provided good pay and a schedule that would allow her to pick up her child from school most workdays. 
 
 But according to a November letter from Hardy’s attorney addressed to cable channel E!, its corporate parent NBCUniveral, and Seacrest, the job became an ordeal as Seacrest subjected Hardy to years of unwanted sexual aggression — 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. 
 
 Hardy claimed that she endured the abuse for years out of concern over being able to provide for her daughter, and that the situation only ended in 2013, when, after reporting Seacrest’s actions to human-resources executives, her employment ended. 
 
 Variety exclusively obtained a copy of the November letter and spoke on multiple occasions to Hardy and her attorney. In the letter and in exclusive interviews with Variety, Hardy described in detail numerous incidents of harassment and assault allegedly perpetrated by Seacrest over the years she was his stylist. 
 
 Related 'SMILF' Creator Frankie Shaw Addresses Misconduct Allegations: 'I Was Learning on the Go' Ryan Seacrest, Jenny McCarthy on Post Malone, Hosting Highs and What to Expect New Year's Eve 
 
 “As proud as I am and as strong as a woman as I am, as smart as I am and as much work as I’ve done with therapists, it really affected me,” Hardy told Variety of the abuse she said Seacrest subjected her to. 
 
 Seacrest has repeatedly denied Hardy’s claims. 
 
 The Nov. 10 letter from Hardy’s attorney — Howard King of King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP — asked Seacrest and E! to “come up with a plan to address the treatment of all women at the networks and to take responsibility for the wrongful treatment” of Hardy, and threatened “more formal action” if the request were ignored. On Nov. 17, Seacrest took the allegation public, announcing in a statement that E! was investigating a misconduct complaint against him made by “someone that worked as a wardrobe stylist for me nearly a decade ago at E! News,” and calling her claims “reckless allegations.” His statement effectively outed Hardy, who was known to those close to Seacrest and within E! as his longtime stylist. 
 
 Three months later, E! issued a statement saying that its investigation had concluded and found “insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest.” The investigation was conducted by an outside counsel hired by NBCUniversal. 
 
 “Total exasperation was my definite feeling when I heard about it,” Hardy, who was interviewed three times by the independent investigator, told Variety. “I felt like by the third interview, it was obvious the investigator was whitewashing it for Seacrest’s side.” Hardy claimed that the investigator never contacted four witnesses she had referred him to who could corroborate elements of her story. 
 
 “E!’s investigation was extremely comprehensive and thorough,” an E! spokesperson told Variety. “Over the course of a two month process, our outside counsel interviewed more than two dozen people regarding the allegations, including multiple separate meetings with the claimant. The investigator is an attorney with nearly 20 years experience and is highly regarded professionally. Any claims that question the legitimacy of this investigation are completely baseless.” 
 
 Seacrest’s attorney, Andrew Baum, told Variety, “It is upsetting to us that Variety is electing to run a ‘story’ about untrue allegations that were made against my client, after they were 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.” 
 
 Baum continued, “On January 31st the network notified us that their independent third-party investigation had concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support her claims, effectively, clearing my client’s name. It’s telling that after my client refused to pay her money, and the E! investigation resulted as it did, that she is now coming forward to share her debunked story to the press.” 
 
 Hardy’s attorney told Variety that neither he nor Hardy has asked Seacrest, E!, or the cable channel’s corporate parents for any money. Seacrest’s representatives provided no evidence that a monetary request was made. 
 
 Hardy became Seacrest’s personal stylist on “E! News” in 2007. She lived across the street at the time from Seacrest’s personal assistant, and had worked with the host previously on a Vanity Fair shoot with Seacrest and the “American Idol” cast. Hardy said that Seacrest’s assistant approached her about the job, which would provide steady pay and regular hours — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. daily. As a single mom, Hardy considered it a godsend. 
 
 “I couldn’t believe it was happening,” Hardy told Variety of the moment when she was offered the position. “I didn’t have to worry anymore. I was going to get a regular paycheck every week.” 
 
 The letter from Hardy’s attorney described the bond shared by Seacrest and his team at the time Hardy began styling the host as family-like. According to Hardy, Seacrest’s assistant took an interest in her. The two women attended parties and concerts together, and Seacrest’s assistant would inquire often about Hardy’s personal life. Those questions allegedly gave way soon after to hints from the same assistant that Seacrest was interested in her romantically. 
 
 According to the November letter, Seacrest soon began asking her to be with him at times when her presence was obviously not required. On multiple occasions, Hardy said, she traveled at Seacrest’s request to his home to dress him, and also to the “American Idol” set, where he had another stylist. At one point, she said, he asked her through his assistant to come to his house after 8 p.m. to tie a necktie for him, a request Hardy refused. She said that when she expressed to Seacrest’s assistant concern about the propriety of going to the host’s house alone in the middle of the night, the assistant encouraged her to bring her young daughter with her as a form of protection. 
 
 Hardy claimed via the November letter that by the end of her first year working at E! that Seacrest’s assistant was often telling her about the host’s interest in her, saying he “is really into you” and “has a crush on you.” Hardy said that she declined Seacrest’s request while prepping for the 2007-08 “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” special to “take a nap” with him. 
 
 According to the letter, Seacrest’s behavior became more physical and aggressive beginning with an incident that took place in his E! dressing room — Hardy said in an interview that the event took place in 2007 — in which Seacrest, while wearing only underwear, wrapped her in what the letter described as “a bear hug,” and did not let go until his assistant walked in. The letter claimed that while working for Seacrest, he hugged her in his underwear more than 10 times. 
 
 Hardy said in an interview that early in her tenure, Seacrest would often give her gifts that felt excessive, such as a $1,000 spa gift certificate. On another occasion, she said Seacrest, sitting in a director’s chair in his underwear, told Hardy, who was alone with him in his dressing room, “I just don’t think you’re attracted to me,” to which Hardy said she responded, “I’m attracted to my paycheck.” She described Seacrest as near-tearful during the exchange. 
 
 “I didn’t know how to deal with it,” she told Variety. “I really didn’t. I was battling finally being in a decent financial position to breathe and be a mom, that I didn’t have to be freaking out all the time, and then dealing with this infantile celebrity person who was testing me on every level and manipulating me and knew that I was in a vulnerable position.” 
 
 In 2008, according to the November letter, while walking to the set of “E! News,” Seacrest slid his hand under Hardy’s crotch. In an interview, Hardy said that he slid his hand in from behind, cupped her crotch, then quickly pulled it away again. Seacrest, according to the letter, then asked her “Oh my god, are you going to sue me?” to which Hardy responded, “not if I stay employed.” 
 
 A former co-worker of Hardy’s at “E! News” told Variety that Hardy described the incident to him at the time that it allegedly occurred, and also told him about several times when Seacrest hugged her against her will. He said that he saw Seacrest trip Hardy on numerous occasions, and that he also saw Seacrest multiple times push Hardy’s head into his crotch while she was tying his shoes. 
 
 The same co-worker, who was interviewed by E! investigators, also told Variety that he witnessed two incidents of assault by Seacrest that he and Hardy, in separate accounts, allege took place in 2009. 
 
 The first was said to have occurred as Seacrest and crew members were leaving an E! set, where Hardy — in the letter and in interviews — and her coworker claim that Seacrest forcefully slapped Hardy’s buttock. Hours later at her home, Hardy looked at her buttock in the mirror, found a red welt, and photographed it. Hardy provided the photo to E! investigators and to Variety. Her attorney commissioned an analysis of the photo’s metadata, which confirmed that the picture was taken on the same day on which Hardy claimed Seacrest struck her buttock. 
 
 Hardy — in the letter and in interviews — and the same coworker said that a month later they were in Seacrest’s suite at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood where Hardy was helping him dress for the Academy Awards. According to separate accounts from both, Seacrest, again in his underwear, this time with a visible erection, grabbed Hardy, threw her onto the hotel-room bed, and climbed on top of her, rubbing his erection against her — stopping only when Hardy’s co-worker began yelling at him. 
 
 What Hardy characterizes as the most egregious offense allegedly occurred on the set of “E! News” in 2010. Hardy was, at the time, dating a high-powered entertainment attorney — toward the beginning of a relationship that would last three years. According to the letter and interviews with Hardy, as she stood in front of Seacrest, tying his tie, Seacrest inquired about the relationship, asking, “Have you f–ked him yet?” When Hardy responded by telling Seacrest not to ask her such questions, Seacrest allegedly reached down and tightly grabbed her vagina. She retreated in tears to a bathroom, where, she said, a production assistant approached her a few minutes later offering to walk her to human resources, but warning her that she would probably be fired if she reported Seacrest’s behavior. Hardy declined the offer. 
 
 Two coworkers who were not present at the time of the incident and one friend of Hardy unconnected to “E! News” told Variety that they recalled Hardy telling them about Seacrest grabbing her vagina at the time that it allegedly occurred. A non-work associate said that Hardy told him about Seacrest grabbing her vagina and forcing himself on her at the Roosevelt Hotel. Another associate said that Hardy told her near the time that the incidents allegedly occurred about Seacrest grabbing her vagina and slapping her buttock. 
 
 According to the letter, Hardy was asked in 2013 to meet with human-resources executives who inquired about the nature of her relationship with Seacrest — Hardy emphasized that she never sought out HR, but that HR sought her out — and whether it was physical. “I was very proud to say ‘No, I don’t [have a physical relationship with Seacrest],’” Hardy told Variety. “I never touched him, I never kissed him, I never f–ked him, nothing. But I said, ‘But he touched me.’” 
 
 Hardy said to Variety that she told the executives that Seacrest had grabbed her vagina on set, and described other alleged abuse to them. “I was in there for hours. I told them everything.” 
 
 Two weeks later, Hardy said, she was told that her employment at “E! News” would end one week after the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony. She had no further in-person contact with Seacrest. On the day of the Oscars, she was directed to go to an empty hotel room, where she hung Seacrest’s tuxedo, then left. She did not dress him. 
 
 Hardy told Variety that Seacrest called her two months later offering vague assurances that the two would work together. Hardy expressed skepticism. Seacrest never offered her any future employment. 
 
 Since her departure from E!, Hardy has left the entertainment industry and now works for a San Francisco-based tech company. Seacrest — already a ubiquitous host and powerful television producer at the time that Hardy worked for him — has seen his star continue to rise. Last year, he became the new co-host of Kelly Ripa’s widely watched ABC daytime talk show, renamed “Live With Kelly & Ryan.” This year he is returning to the role that launched him to national notoriety as host of “American Idol,” currently filming in Los Angeles and set to premiere in March on ABC. His production company has an overall deal with ABC Studios. 
 
 Hardy sought therapy in the years since leaving “E! News.” (“I’ve seen every shrink in town,” she said.) Hardy felt emboldened to raise the issue of the alleged abuse she suffered — first in private with E!, then speaking to Variety after Seacrest made the allegation public and the cable channel’s investigation was completed — as she saw coverage of disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement begin to dominate the news cycle. She was shocked and insulted when, following the E! investigation, the Hollywood Reporter published a guest column under the headline “What Happened After I Was Wrongly Accused of Harassment,” in which Seacrest wrote that “an independent third party found the claims to be unsubstantiated and that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on my part.” The E! statement said that the investigator found “insufficient evidence.” Seacrest’s assertion that no evidence of wrongdoing was presented further encouraged Hardy to speak out about the experience that she had only discussed privately during her E! years. 
 
 “I came from a freelance life, and it was scary,” she told Variety. “It was hard to raise a child and not know where your next check was going to come from, and if that gig was going to take me out of town for two weeks. It was a better deal all the way around, even if I was being abused. It’s sick to say, but it was true.” ||||| Ashes, ashes, they all fall down. Ryan Seacrest snubbed Sacha Baron Cohen on the red carpet of the 2016 Oscars on Sunday, February 28, four years after the Borat actor showered the TV personality with ashes during the preshow. 
 
 The E! News host, who excitedly greeted numerous celebrities on the star-studded carpet outside of L.A.'s Dolby Theatre, was not pleased to see Baron Cohen's face as he made his way over. Seacrest was caught saying "No" to the comedian, who was walking down the carpet with his wife, Isla Fisher. 
 
 Moments later, Baron Cohen spoke to the Associated Press and laughed off Seacrest's snub. However, the unrelenting actor didn't give up on the American Idol host that easily. Seacrest was midinterview with Lady Gaga when Baron Cohen slyly interrupted their conversation. 
 
 
 
 "Just wanted to give you a hug," Baron Cohen, 44, said as he put his arms around Seacrest. 
 
 
 
 "Hello!" the shocked multihyphenate replied. "What's in your hands? What's in your hands? Check his hands!" (Gaga, meanwhile, smiled politely as the reunion went down.) 
 
 Seacrest, of course, was referring to the infamous 2012 Oscar red carpet incident when Baron Cohen dumped fake ashes all over Seacrest's suit. At the time, Baron Cohen attended the awards show as his Dictator character, and carried an urn over to Seacrest. He then poured the contents all over Seacrest while the rest of America was just stunned. 
 
 
 
 The incident, however, was eventually resolved backstage at Saturday Night Live. Seacrest told radio show listeners in May 2012: "I saw Isla Fisher and I said hi, and she said these words, and then it dawned on me. She said, 'I apologize for my husband.' And I said, 'Oh, yes, yes, gotcha, thank you, thank you very much for saying that.'" 
 
 The radio host then ran into Baron Cohen himself. "He comes off stage, comes over to me, breaks character and says sorry about the Oscars, it wasn't personal," Seacrest recalled, saying Baron Cohen was "very, very apologetic and genuine and kind and sweet." 
 
 
 
 Watch their reunion above. 
 
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– Amid allegations that he groped a stylist, E! host Ryan Seacrest was sure to have an awkward time attempting to interview celebrities at Sunday night's Academy Awards. Mashable says "practically no celebrities" talked to him and the Kansas City Star, which rounds up social media reactions to Seacrest's evening, says E!'s coverage "flopped." None of the five actresses nominated for Best Actress spoke to him, the Wrap notes. Still, Deadline reports Seacrest was "not exactly snubbed"; he did score interviews with 21 people—and Entertainment Weekly has a list of names. Among them was Taraji P. Henson, who, Fox News reports, appeared to slam Seacrest to his face during their interview. "The universe has a way of taking care of taking care of good people," she said, while reaching out to touch Seacrest's chin. "Know what I mean?" She reportedly told the next person who interviewed her, "I'm great now that I'm in your company."