Switched At Birth stars Lea Thompson and Constance Marie claim Hollywood’s elite will likely dodge underfire Ryan Seacrest should he appear on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday.
Back To The Future actress Thompson believes many stars won’t want to deal with any potential backlash amid the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against Seacrest by his former stylist.
And another Hollywood long time actress Garcelle Beauvais agreed that skipping the E! cameras is an easy way of avoiding trouble.
The three actresses spoke about the drama surrounding the 43-year-old ‘King Of The Red Carpet’, who currently has the backing of E! bosses to film his 12th Live From The Red Carpet Oscars show.
Switched At Birth stars Lea Thompson and Constance Marie said stars might avoid Ryan Seacrest on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday night
Hollywood long time actress Garcelle Beauvais agreed that skipping the E! cameras is an easy way of avoiding trouble
Thompson, 56, who found fame as Lorraine McFly in the Back To The Future trilogy, said: ‘I imagine a lot of people will skip him.’
She says it saves them meeting Seacrest in person on air: ‘That’s the problem with that, just because of that. They’ll just be like, “I don’t really want to deal with this today”.
Asked if it is fair, given that the new American Idol host has not been ‘criminally charged’, Thompson added: ‘It’s a sticky deal and it’s very difficult, it’s all very difficult for everybody; for men, for women. Any kind of change in the sexual politics is always difficult.’
Marie, 52, who played the title star’s wife on George Lopez and also appeared in Law And Order, admitted that each actress will have to assess the severity of the allegations against the host.
‘And the circumstances of each allegation, the circumstances of every person that is accused, every thing they are accused of doing, it’s all different and I think that we have to weigh them all individually,’ she said.
‘I mean it is a big movement and it’s wonderful that it’s happening, it’s leveling the playing field and it’s changing the industry but each person has to be dealt with singularly – in each individual case.’
Actress Beauvais, 51, who appeared on The Jamie Foxx Show and NYPD Blue, feels her fellow stars will not confront Seacrest directly.
She said that the best way to avoid dramas would be for A-listers simply to duck away from his E! interview area.
NBCUniversal has confirmed the TV personality will anchor E!’s coverage of the celebrities arriving for the Oscars despite the allegations against him by his former stylist
Asked if the red carpet on Sunday is the place for talent to challenge Seacrest, she replied: ‘I don’t know if that’s the place to do it. I think there are other places to voice your opinion.
‘I would be hard pressed to see anybody do that on Sunday, I would be really shocked. I think people have a little more decorum and probably wait until the right time but I don’t think the red carpet would be the right time to do it.’
The actress added that ‘everyone is innocent until proven guilty.’
But when Beauvais was asked if she expects celebrities to avoid him, she replied: ‘That’s a way of handling it, is refusing to speak. But I don’t know.’
Thompson claims that outrage among Hollywood females has ‘bubbled’ up against abusers because of President Donald Trump.
She reckons that many A-listers came forward as a result.
‘Our Commander in Chief has gotten away with everything so it’s frustrating,’ she said.
Her close friend Marie added: ‘That’s exactly the question you ask. We each are put in a position to have to make decisions, to have to make choices.’
Marie says that it is tough to know who is in the right in some cases.
‘The accusations is one thing but you need to be sure. You need to listen to the women.
Marie (left) played the title star’s wife on George Lopez and also appeared in Law And Order. Thompson (right) played Lorraine Baines in the Back To The Future trilogy
Actress Beauvais, 51, who appeared on The Jamie Foxx Show and NYPD Blue. She’s pictured above with Foxx on The Jamiee Foxx Show
‘It’s on an individual basis. It’s not like, it is a movement, but there are details and specifics; and you have to weigh the options at every turn. When an accusation that you know is true, then you have to proceed accordingly.’
Thompson says that with the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, women are safer in Hollywood.
She feels the rules have changed and from now on everyone ‘better behave’.
The trio spoke at a VIP Pre-Oscar fundraiser for Global Green to celebrate Hollywood’s environmental commitment and to champion climate heroes.
Other stars have also said they’re unsure of how to react to Seacrest should he appear Sunday.
Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence said she is conflicted over whether she will do an interview with him or not.
In an interview with The Howard Stern Show, the actress said she doesn’t ‘know about the Ryan Seacrest thing’ when the host asked if she would speak with him.
‘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? I don’t know… that is where this stuff gets tricky.’
She added that if she did choose to skip Seacrest, he wouldn’t be the only journalist she didn’t talk to, as ‘there are already outlets that I’m just like, nah, so it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.’
Suzie Hardy, a former stylist at the cable channel E!, had accused Seacrest of sexual misconduct last year but finally went public with her claims on Monday.
Kelly Ripa praised he co-host Ryan Seacrest Thursday morning on Live (above) after he was accused of sexual misconduct
Opinion: When asked by Howard Stern about the sexual harassment allegations made against Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lawrence responded: ‘I can’t imagine him being sexual…’
She claims she endured years of misconduct and was put in physically inappropriate situations on multiple occasions.
NBCUniversal has said an investigation into the allegations failed to find sufficient evidence to support them.
Suzie Hardy has described the network’s investigation as a whitewash in an interview with Variety.
She also detailed Seacrest’s alleged behavior, claiming he would pace his erect penis against her while wearing only his underwear, groped her and slapped her buttocks.
Seacrest categorically denies Hardy’s allegations and has accused her of trying to extort money from him.
It’s not all bad for Seacrest though.
On Thursday Live! co-host Kelly Ripa made a very public show of support for him.
While the scandal or allegations were not mentioned directly, the pair did discuss their preparations for Oscars presenting duties.
Seacrest will handle the morning-after edition of Live! with Ripa.
On air she told him: ‘I just want you to know that you are a privilege to work with, and I adore you. And I am speaking on behalf of all us here. I know what an easy, professional, great person you are and I feel very, very lucky to work with you each and every day. We all do.’
The pair then linked arms behind their backs and Ripa added: ‘You are happiness.’
Seacrest reacted. ‘You are happiness,’
Ripa responded. ‘You are happiness wrapped in chocolate, so there.’