Oscars 2018: Ryan Seacrest Was a Minimal, Muted Presence on E!

There were, in the end, a handful of stars who ended up speaking to Ryan Seacrest during E!’s Live from the Red Carpet. After rumors broke earlier in the week that publicists intended to steer their clients away from the longtime E! host, Whoopi Goldberg, Allison Janney, several best-song nominees, his morning-show co-host Kelly Ripa, a Baby Driver actress, Christopher Plummer, and the winning and supportive Tiffany Haddish each stopped by. It was Taraji P. Henson, though, who may have delivered the moment the most frustrated E! viewers were waiting for, when she said, “The universe has a way of taking care of the good people.” She was talking about the wonders of Mary J. Blige, but for a moment it seemed like she was speaking subliminally about something else entirely, perhaps the allegations of sexual assault that Seacrest has denied.

Their interview ended with a hug and a promise to hang out in New York, but that didn’t stop shivers from shooting down spines far and wide. The red carpet season that began in January with Time’s Up movement’s vigorous presence at the Golden Globes has now ended with Seacrest and this uncomfortable moment of reckoning, or perhaps lack thereof. With the former stylist who accused him of sexual harassment speaking out against him in the press in the week leading up to the Oscars, E! insisted on business as usual, with Seacrest in his usual prime position on the red carpet. Still, the broadcast was undeniably different. Fewer actors in the biggest categories did speak with E!, which could be attributed to an overall reduction in those stopping for the media line altogether. But Seacrest is usually able to pull the biggest nominees—for the Globes he spoke with Meryl Streep,Emma Watson, and more. Meanwhile, over on ABC, one could hear from best-director nominees Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig, classic favorite Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey, and power couple Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani.

It all started, at least, very business as usual, with Seacrest asking his co-host, Giuliana Rancic, what she was wearing, and Seacrest plugging his Macy’s suit line. No nods to Time’s Up or #MeToo or anything outside E!’s usual lane. As the program progressed, Seacrest spoke faithfully about the life and work in interviews, and didn’t ask about the clothes unless he knew there was a story to tell, as was the case with Rita Moreno, who was wearing the same dress she wore when she accepted her Oscar for West Side Story in 1962.

The responsibility for filling in the harder commentary went to E! executive editor Kristin Dos Santos and MTV News correspondent Josh Horowitz, who joined Rancic about 50 feet away from the red carpet at the Roosevelt Hotel (somewhere near the pool). At various times, Dos Santos noted the lack of Latina nominees and the still few females directors nominated (“I hope a lot of young girls are watching tonight and see that it’s a valid career option to be a director,” Dos Santos said to Rancic at one point). Dos Santos, too, didn’t know what to do with the young Tom Holland in the Glambot, admitting she had nothing to say about how he looks (Rancic explained that she’s allowed to say whatever she wants to say, about appearances or whatever). At one point, after cutting away from Seacrest, Horowitz noted that Casey Affleck had ceded a presentation opportunity to Jane Fonda in order to “avoid an awkward situation.” Awkward situation, indeed.

It took time for E! to take its place in the middle of the #MeToo moment. After the allegations against Harvey Weinstein broke in early October, Hollywood’s reckoning largely took place in investigative reports and in social-media revelations, as dozens of accusers came forward, and dozens of powerful men stepped down from their posts. Then, in late December, former E! host Catt Sadler announced that she was leaving the network after learning she was not paid the same as her male co-host. When the Golden Globes kicked off a few weeks later, with nearly everyone wearing black and members of Time’s Up bringing activists at their date, the most memorable red carpet moment came when Debra Messingbrought up Sadler in an interview with Rancic. A few weeks after that E! announced that it had concluded its internal investigation into Seacrest (which had begun in November) and “found insufficient evidence to substantiate allegations against Seacrest.” Since Suzie Hardywent public with her story in Variety, the network and Seacrest’s lawyers have continued to defend him.

Before Monday, when the Variety cover story landed, it looked as if E! could and would move on from its deferential commitment to “why are you wearing black” instead of “who are you wearing.” NBCUniversal executive Jennifer Neal told Vanity Fair saying that they hoped to revert to their traditional talking points of “movies and fashion to relationships, parenthood,” and more. “For over 20 years, E!’s Live from the Red Carpet coverage has always been about celebrating the stars, along with their projects and passions on Hollywood’s biggest nights,” Neal said. “For the 90th Oscars, we will continue that tradition and approach it in a similar fashion.

Whatever Taraji P. Henson meant by that chin pinch, E! and Seacrest are fortunate that the only blip in four hours of pre-show was a little possible shade. They pulled it off. Business as usual. But as Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, told Variety prior to the start of the show, that’s beside the point. “We shouldn’t have to make those choices of, ‘Do we or don’t we?’” Burke said. “This is not about his guilt or innocence. It’s about there being an accusation that’s alive, and until they sort of out, it’s really on E! News and shouldn’t be on us. . . . It will let us know where they stand in terms of how respectful E! News is of this issue—and of women.”

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