Woman accusing Ryan Seacrest of sexual misconduct files police report, pens new essay
It looks like sexual harassment allegations against Ryan Seacrest are not going away anytime soon.
Suzie Hardy, who once worked as Seacrest’s personal stylist, has accused the host of Live With Kelly and Ryan and American Idol of inappropriate behavior, including slapping her on the butt, groping her vagina, and grinding his erect penis against her. Hardy’s allegations against Seacrest became public in November, when it was reported that he was being investigated by the network, and he defended himself. Months later, in February, Hardy went public with her story — a week before the Oscars. Now Hardy has written a column for the Hollywood Reporter, saying that she has gone to police with her story. THR editors noted in the piece that they confirmed “a police report has been filed and is being investigated.”
In her post, Hardy also explained why she chose to go public with her story.
THR reported on Nov. 17 that a woman had made allegations against Seacrest that were being looked into, reportedly by “outside counsel,” as part of an internal investigation of the matter by E!. The investigation found “insufficient evidence to support the claims,” and the network announced on Feb. 1 that Seacrest was not punished for the accusations. He defended himself in a Feb. 5 essay for THR. He was allowed to host the Oscars pre-show as usual, although many actors refused to speak to him.
Seacrest has always denied Hardy’s “reckless allegations.”
“Ryan chose to immediately author a guest column in the Hollywood Reporter falsely claiming he had been vindicated and attempting to portray himself as the victim,” Hardy wrote. “I finally said ‘enough is enough’ and went public with my name and the ugly details of what I endured.
“And then … nothing. Sure, some celebrities avoided Ryan on the red carpet at the Oscars, and his ratings were way down. But the silence since then has been deafening.”
Hardy pointed out that Seacrest continues to appear on his shows and continues to be backed by his network. She also alleged that after conducting a pre-interview with journalist Megyn Kelly’s producers, she was told that they needed to reschedule.
“So much for ‘Let’s believe the women,’ right?” Hardy wrote. “Unless you’re the President of the United States or a TV cash cow, apparently. Those who work with Ryan seem to hope I will just go away. Well, I’m not going away. I’m thriving in the truth and feel more inspired than ever. I recently contacted the LAPD and filed a police report so I’m guaranteed a real investigation this time. Ryan’s team of lawyers, who are also representing Harvey Weinstein, do not intimidate me. If Ryan is so innocent, why hasn’t he called me a liar or sued me or presented evidence of my so-called extortion plot?”
Hardy added that she was inspired to continue telling her story by none other than survivors of the Parkland High School school shooting.
“Ryan chose to take this public, not me. But I will not stand by silently and let Ryan or the sycophants that employ him get away with this,” Hardy continued. “Not when teenagers, with their voices shaking, can speak up to Congress on gun control. I can face this too! Ryan is not a victim, he is the instigator and the assaulter. He did everything I asserted in my original HR report and in my private letter to him and E! in November.”
She took to task the people still supporting Seacrest despite her allegations.
“Everyone in Hollywood who stands by Ryan now is choosing not to believe me,” Hardy wrote. “That includes every guest on his shows, every studio and network that does business with him, every celebrity who talks to him on a red carpet. Know that this is a choice you are making.”
In the final lines of her column, Hardy said she’d noticed that Seacrest had always “really enjoyed humiliating” her. She said she wouldn’t back down.
“So, joke all you want, Kelly Ripa. NBC and ABC, keep spinning and deflecting,” Hardy said defiantly. “You’re all making a big mistake. And Ryan, stop trying to bully me. It’s not going to work.”
Seacrest’s attorney, Andrew Baum, issued a new statement responding to Hardy’s column: “After Mr. Seacrest denied each and every one of Ms. Hardy’s decade old claims, after Mr. Seacrest refused to pay Ms. Hardy any money whatsoever, and after an independent legal investigation did not support her claims, Ms. Hardy went to the press attacking the legitimacy of the investigation. Now, after being refused money and unhappy with the independent legal investigation, Ms. Hardy now claims to have spoken to the authorities. We will continue to cooperate and we remain confident that Mr. Seacrest will once again be cleared of any wrongdoing.”
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