Kelly Ripa Praises Ryan Seacrest After Sexual Harassment Allegations Surface: ‘I Adore You’

Kelly Ripa Praises Ryan Seacrest After Sexual Harassment Allegations Surface: 'I Adore You'

"You are a privilege to work with, and I adore you," Ripa tells her "Live with Kelly and Ryan" co-host.

Ryan Seacrest got some emotional support from Kelly Ripa Thursday morning in the wake of his sexual harassment accuser sharing more details of his alleged abuse.

"I just want you to know that you are a privilege to work with, and I adore you," Ripa said on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," lovingly touching her co-host's arm. "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. We all do."

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The audience was on board, too. Ripa's praise elicited applause from the audience, despite Variety's recent report detailing allegations from Seacrest's former stylist, Suzie Hardie. According to the former E! employee, Seacrest allegedly pushed her head into his crotch while she was tying his shoes, rubbed his erect penis on her while wearing only underwear, groped her vagina, and even slapped her butt so hard it left a visible mark. Seacrest has repeatedly denied the claims.

"You are happiness," Seacrest said to Ripa in response to her kind words.

"You're happiness wrapped in chocolate, so there!" she replied.

In November of last year, Seacrest received a letter from a lawyer representing Hardy, who claimed the E! exec had mistreated her more than a decade ago. Seacrest publicly denied the allegations and agreed to comply with the network's investigation. In January of this year, E! released a statement saying their investigation had "found insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest and therefore could not be substantiated."

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Last month, Seacrest wrote a guest blog for The Hollywood Reporter, in which he advocated for "the presumption of innocence" and detailed the "gut-wrenching" feeling of having his "workplace conduct questioned." He also made a plea for everyone accused of wrongdoing to be given "a swift and fair review."

According to Page Six, Seacrest is now facing the possibility of top publicists steering their clients away from him at the Oscars red carpet on Sunday given his current accusations.

During her interview with Howard Stern on Thursday, Jennifer Lawrence was asked whether or not she'd be stopping and speaking to Seacrest on Sunday's red carpet.

Lawrence admitted she wasn't completely up to date on the scandal, so she couldn't say for sure, but she did say, "I can't imagine him being sexual. I think it is scary. He has not been to trial for anything. I am not a judge. I am not a jury. I don't know…that is where this stuff gets tricky."

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But Lawrence's issues with E! go far beyond Seacrest.

"There is a lot to think about with E!" she said. "I have always had a problem with the 'Fashion Police.' I don't have a problem with talking about what women are wearing; there was a time they were just mean about people's bodies, things you shouldn't say." Lawrence also has strong feelings about Catt Sadler quitting over pay disparity, saying, "I have noticed that they keep cycling these women and I am going, 'Is that so you don't have to pay another woman equally to Jason [Kennedy]? Is this just a way to still maintain that you are not paying women equally?'"

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