Ryan Seacrest was up early on Monday morning to co-host Live with Kelly Ripa.
But the location was different. Instead of hosting the show from New York, the team took the stage at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, where the Academy Awards took place the night before.
And it wasn’t exactly a smooth night for Ryan. The big celebrities seemed to stay clear of his during his E!’s Oscars red carpet coverage because he has been accused of his former makeup artist of sexual harassment.
He took the stage: Ryan Seacrest was up early on Monday morning to co-host Live with Kelly Ripa. But the location was different. Instead of hosting the show from New York, the team took the stage at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, where the Academy Awards took place the night before
Not his pals? Just 12 hours earlier, those seats were filled by Hollywood’s finest including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster. But Ryan did not get to talk to any of them while on the red carpet outside
Ryan wore a white tux and Kelly had on a tight black dress as they posed on the stage with thousands of fans in their seats.
Just 12 hours earlier, those seats were filled by Hollywood’s finest including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster.
But Ryan did not get to talk to any of them while on the red carpet outside.
And the one star that did talk to him – Taraji P Henson – was forced to deny throwing shade at the 43-year-old following their red carpet chat on Sunday.
‘The universe has a way of taking care of taking care of good people,’ said the unsmiling actress during the interview, touching his chin. ‘You know what I mean?’
‘Nothing but love’: Seacrest interviewed his ‘friend’ Taraji P Henson on the red carpet, but her comments led to accusations she had shaded him, which she later denied
Shunned: Of the acting nominees, only 4 of the 20 found time for Ryan
He obviously felt she was offering her support – replying earnestly ‘I agree’. However Twitter blew up, with fans claiming Taraji had ‘thrown shade’ at Seacrest, who has denied sexual harassment allegations from his ex-stylist, Suzie Hardy.
Taraji had to deny this, telling People she ‘absolutely’ offered him her support.
‘I did it to keep his chin up. It’s an awkward position to be in. He’s been cleared but anyone can say anything,’ she said.
Did Taraji shade Ryan Seacrest? Henson told the E! host the universe looks after ‘good people’… later explaining she did not mean this as a dig and was offering support
Got him: While it could be argued that she was offering her support – he replied earnestly ‘I agree’ – Twitter blew up, with fans claiming she had ‘thrown shade’ at Seacrest, who has denied sexual harassment allegations from his ex-stylist, Suzie Hardy
Hold on: If indeed the interaction was meant as a dig at Seacrest, it slipped past E!, who had a 30-second delay in screening, which should have prevented any such controversy
Many on Twitter had pointed out that after talking to Seacrest Taraji pointedly told ABC’s Wendi Mclendon-Covey, who had inquired as to her mood: ‘I’m great now that I’m in your company.’
Had the interaction been meant as a dig at Seacrest, it slipped past E!, who had a 30-second delay in screening to prevent any such controversy.
‘SHE DID!’ There was no doubt on Twitter that Taraji had shaded Seacrest
Queen: ‘The universe has a way of taking care of taking care of good people,’ said an unsmiling Taraji, touching Seacrest’s chin. ‘You know what I mean?’
While the delay helpfully gave the network time to cut any negative comments, they insisted it was completely standard.
‘As always, we tape multiple sources of content simultaneously to deliver the best possible show, and there are often brief delays between interviews,’ an E! spokesperson told Variety ahead of the show.
Meanwhile Ryan’s co-host Giuliana Rancic was relegated elsewhere by E! – broadcasting down the street beside the pool at the Roosevelt Hotel.
Filling dead air: Experienced Giuliana Rancic was relegated down the street to the Roosevelt Hotel, a four-minute walk and a long way from the hustle and bustle of the red carpet
What are friends for: Kelly Ripa swoops in to support Seacrest after other stars avoided him on red carpet amid harassment scandal
Kissing friends: Kelly has publicly defended Ryan on their show
While it was an idyllic setting (and indeed the scene of the first Oscars, 90 years ago), it was far from the hustle and bustle of the star-studded carpet, a four-minute walk away across the busy Hollywood Boulevard.
The set-up appeared to be E!’s solution to the difficulties, giving the network an easy way for Seacrest to hand off.
However it left the ever-professional Giuliana filling dead air as Ryan struggled to land his usual stream of A-list interviews – with all five of the Best Actress nominees avoiding him.
Luckily his Live co-star Kelly Ripa was there to save him, swooping in for a chat after he spent the first hour interviewing the occasional musician or Disney star.
Her support is no surprise. ‘I cannot wait to see you there [at the Oscars],’ she told him on their show Thursday.
‘I am very excited. And I just want you to know, you are a privilege to work with and I adore you.
‘I know what a professional, great person you are, and I feel very, very blessed to work with you each and every day.’
While Ryan has strongly defended himself against the accusations – no evidence was found of wrong-doing by an internal investigation – publicists were understandably keen to avoid any association with the claims.
Given the current climate and the Me Too campaign to end assault in showbiz, many stars took the safe option and opted not to be interviewed by the usually popular presenter.
Indeed during the first hour of the network’s normally star-studded coverage, Ryan only managed to bag two interviews – with 24-year-old Disney star Sofia Carson and veteran song-writer Diane Warren.
Kept his top spot: But Ryan failed to secure his usual A-list interview subjects
Standing by their man: E! kept Ryan, despite the allegations against him
Sharing a moment: Andy Serkis was one of those to stop for Seacrest
Far from a household name, Sofia stopped to chat a few minutes into the show, then it took more than 30 minutes for Ryan to get his moment with Diane.
Normally Ryan finds himself fending off the A-listers, who will patiently line up and await their moment with the star presenter.
In total 22 people stopped to talk to Ryan, during 18 separate interviews. But many were old friends – with just four of the 20 acting nominees giving Seacrest a red carpet chat.
To fill time between his sparser than usual schedule he sportscasted, providing rolling coverage of what was happening behind him on the carpet, but his microphone was noticeably quieter to usual.
‘Thanks for crashing!’ Ryan even posted an image of himself with Kelly; he is relying on old friends to fill his interview slots this year
A-list: Allison Janey made time for Seacrest, although many of the bigger stars gave him a miss
The old ones are the best: Seacrest shared a picture with Rita Moreno, including the fact that she had recycled her Oscars gown
‘Huge congrats’: Seacrest has plenty of high profile friends, and clearly likes Mary J Blige
Sharing a picture to Instagram before the show, Ryan had appeared defiant, smiling and captioning the shot: ‘Almost showtime.’
Meanwhile the beleaguered presenter looked less than happy in a candid shot taken as he left theAmerican Idol studios in Hollywood the previous night.
NBCUniversal confirmed Wednesday that Ryan would not be replaced despite the sexual harassment allegations.
The media giant has said an internal probe failed to find sufficient evidence to support them.
Spot on: Fans pointed out that Giuliana was the one to be relegated, while Ryan kept his top spot on the carpet
‘TimesUp’: Giuliana was relocated to a hotel down the street, giving E! an easy get out
Making a point: Fans picked up on the fact the Giuliana was the one to be sent away
Not the top spot: Ryan was broadcasting from behind a rope to the side of the carpet
‘What are you wearing?’ Film fans did not ignore the accusations
‘Where’d our momentum go?’ Twitter was abuzz about Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest secures only TWO celebrity interviews in first hour of E! coverage amid harassment scandal… he posted this defiant picture before the show
Going ahead as normal: The popular 43-year-old presenter posted this Instagram snap on Sunday captioned, ‘Pre #Oscars huddle for the #ERedCarpet. 12th year with this team’
Suzie described the network’s investigation as a whitewash in an interview with Variety.
She also detailed his behavior claiming he placed his erect penis against her while wearing only his underwear, groped her and slapped her rear.
Ryan categorically denies her allegations and has accused her of trying to extort money from him.
Worried man: Ryan Seacrest looked less than happy when he left the American Idol studios in Hollywood on Saturday ahead of his gig on the Oscars red carpet after assault allegations
Her story: Ryan’s former stylist Suzie Hardy accused him of sexual harassment but an internal probe by NBCUniversal cleared him after failing to find sufficient evidence
ACADEMY AWARDS WINNERS 2018
BEST PICTURE
Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water – WINNER
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Sally Hawkins in The Shape Of Water; Best Picture winner
BEST ACTOR
Timothee Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
Gary OIdman – Darkest Hour – WINNER
Denzel Washington – Roman J. Israel, Esq
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mary J Blige – Mudbound
Alison Janney – I, Tonya – WINNER
Lesley Manville – Phanton Thread
Laurie Metcalf – Ladybird
Octavia Spencer – The Shape Of Water
Alison Janney was named Best Supporting Actress for I, Tonya
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Fantastic Woman – WINNER
The Insult
Loveless
On Body and Soul
The Square
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Edith + Eddie
Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 – WINNER
Heroin(e)
Knife Skills
Traffic Stop
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Faces Places
Icarus – WINNER
Last Men in Aleppo
Strong Island
Icarus, named Best Documentary Feature
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Mighty River – Mudbound
Mystery Of Love – Call Me by Your Name
Remember Me – Coco – WINNER
Stand Up For Something – Marshall
This Is Me – The Greatest Showman
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco – WINNER
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent
Coco; Winner of Best Animated Feature Film
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Call Me By Your Name – James Ivory – WINNER
The Disaster Artist – Scott Neustadter and Michael H Weber
Logan – Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green
Molly’s Game – Aaron Sorkin
Mudbound – Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Big Sick – Emily V Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
Get Out – Jordan Peele – WINNER
Lady Bird – Greta Gerwig
The Shape of Water – Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor (story by Guillermo del Toro)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Martin McDonagh
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Dunkirk
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water – WINNER
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
BEST DIRECTOR
Christopher Nolan – Dunkirk
Jordan Peele – Get Out
Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson – Phantom Thread
Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water – WINNER
BEST ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand – Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri – WINNER
Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird
Meryl Streep – The Post
Best Actress winner Frances McDormand in Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins – The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer – All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – WINNER
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Bladerunner 2049 – WINNER
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Mudbound
Shape of Water
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
Phantom Thread – WINNER
The Shape of Water
Victoria and Abdul
BEST SOUND EDITING
Baby Driver
Blade Runner
Dunkirk – WINNER
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Dunkirk was named the winner for Best Sound Editing
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Dear Basketball – WINNER
Garden Party
Lou
Negative Space
Revolting Rhymes
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
DeKalb Elementary
The Eleven O’Clock
My Nephew Emmet
The Silent Child – WINNER
Watu Wota / All of Us
Maisie Sly is seen in The Silent Child, which won Best Live Action Short Film
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Blade Runner 2049 – WINNER
Guardian of the Galaxy vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes
BEST FILM EDITING
Baby Driver
I,Tonya
Dunkirk – WINNER
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
BEST SOUND MIXING
Baby Driver
Blade Runner
Dunkirk – WINNER
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water – WINNER
BEST MAKE UP AND HAIR STYLING
Darkest Hour – WINNER
Victoria & Abdul
Wonder