Ryan Seacrest managed to avoid any awkward encounters at the Oscars red carpet on Sunday, despite an allegation of sexual misconduct that resurfaced in the days leading up to the show.
Several Oscar nominees, including Allison Janney, and Mary J. Blige, were interviewed by Seacrest, but E! seemed to rely on co-hosts Kristin dos Santos and Giuliana Rancic, who were based across the street from the Dolby Theatre, to address any potentially troublesome spots for Seacrest.
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When Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino arrived together, it was dos Santos who spoke about the women’s involvement in the #MeToo movement.
The two actresses stopped for interviews with several media outlets while walking the carpet together, but they were not shown being interviewed by Seacrest. (It’s unclear if they spoke to Seacrest or other E! representatives off-camera.)
A source close to Seacrest told CNN prior to Sunday’s Oscar events that the longtime producer and host was “frustrated” the accusation of harassment by his former stylist was making headlines again.
Seacrest has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The source added that Seacrest “supports the Time’s Up movement and women coming forward.”
News that Seacrest was facing workplace misconduct allegations first came to light in November, when he released a preemptive statement denying the accusations and revealing that E! was conducting an investigation.
E! concluded its probe in early February, saying in a statement at the time that outside counsel “found insufficient evidence to substantiate allegations against Seacrest.”
One veteran publicist told CNN earlier this week that some celebrities might avoid doing interviews with Seacrest because of the controversy.
ABC, which broadcasts the Academy Awards, restricts live coverage of the red carpet an hour before the ceremony starts. E! did seem to have fewer guests than some previous years, but several notable nominees were arriving just as Seacrest had to sign off.