Ryan Seacrest breaks silence on sexual misconduct claims

AFTER being accused of “grinding” his crotch on a former stylist, Ryan Seacrest has released a fiery statement denying the allegations made against him.

Ryan Seacrest attends the grand opening of Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Beverly Hills on November 16, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. Picture: Toby Canham/Getty Images/AFP

RYAN Seacrest has broken his silence after being accused of sexual misconduct, denying all of the claims made by his former stylist.

Suzie Hardy, who worked with the host on E! News, claimed the American TV star groped her and gave her a bear hug wearing only his underwear, among other accusations.

In an interview with Variety, the single mother detailed getting a dream job as Seacrest’s personal stylist at E! News in 2007, only to be fired in 2013 after making graphic complaints of harassment known to HR.

In a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, Seacrest described the story as “salacious”.

“Yesterday, Variety published a salacious story that revealed the specific claims against me for the first time — even though an independent third-party investigator found insufficient evidence to support the claims,” he said.

“Much to my dismay, Variety didn’t speak with me or bother to speak with other credible witnesses or even ask for any of the evidence that was obtained during the investigation when offered, all of which clearly challenged the veracity of the claims made against me.”

Ryan Seacrest firmly denies the allegations. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Hardy took her complaints directly to the network, which didn’t move forward with any punishment against Seacrest after a third party investigator deemed there wasn’t enough evidence.

The TV star, who also presented American Idol for four years until 2016, claimed Hardy was only sharing the story again now in an attempt to profit off him.

“This person who has accused me of horrible things tried to buy her silence by asking for money on multiple occasions — I refused,” Seacrest said. “I have worked extremely hard to achieve my success and I don’t take my opportunities for granted.

“I don’t want to accuse anyone of not telling the truth but in this case, I have no choice but to again deny the claims against me, remind people that I was recused of any wrongdoing, and put the matter to rest.”

Earlier this week, Seacrest’s lawyer told Fox News that Hardy had initially asked for a payout to keep quiet, which had prompted the host to announce the investigation publicly.

“At that time, the claimant threatened to issue a demonstrably false press statement unless she was paid,” the statement reads. “Instead, my client proactively and publicly denied the claims and agreed to fully co-operate with E!’s investigation about the matter.”

According to Hardy, Seacrest’s assistant began hinting that the star was romantically interested in her shortly after she began working for him. She said he repeatedly requested her presence at times when a stylist wasn’t required, and asked her to go to his home at night and help him with his tie.

Hardy also claimed that, on separate occasions, he gave her a bear hug wearing only his underwear, slapped her so hard on the buttocks it left a welt, grabbed her crotch from behind, and pushed her on to a hotel bed and started grinding his visibly erect penis against her.