Just before the Oscars, I just became so depressed with the state of E! Entertainment as a network. In the week prior to the Oscars, we learned that Ryan Seacrest sexually harassed and abused his stylist Suzie Hardy for years, and when she went to E! to report him, she was the one who lost her job. Seacrest’s lawyers claimed she was extorting him for money – despite the fact that she hadn’t asked him for a penny. E! “investigated” Hardy’s allegations, but Seacrest owns/produces so many of their properties, it was always clear that they would cover his ass.

There were apparently “crisis meetings” ahead of the Oscars, but in the end, E! chose to have Seacrest anchor their Oscar Red Carpet show. It was bad. Really bad. Only a handful of actors would speak to him, and mostly he just interviewed music-related people. Oh, and all of the interviews were pre-taped, on a lag, just in case some mouthy woman dared to challenge Seacrest live on air. That’s a long way to go to protect the host of a red carpet show, right? Shades of Matt Lauer – NBC Universal will do anything to protect their most valuable assets, mediocre and predatory white dudes. Women get fired for being mouthy or for daring to ask for something resembling equal pay though. Anyway, I thought there would be some kind of post-Oscars reckoning for Seacrest. I was wrong.

Critics have pointed out that E!’s Oscars red carpet pre-show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, lacked its usual A-list lineup compared to ABC’s broadcast — but the network isn’t concerned.

“They are happy with the interviews that they got and the folks that stopped and talked to Ryan. They’re happy with how it went and with who they were able to talk with,” a source close to the situation tells PEOPLE. “They had a wide-ranging group of talent, nominees and otherwise.”

The question of who might not stop for Seacrest, 43, arose after his former E! News stylist Suzie Hardy alleged that he sexually harassed and assaulted her — including grabbing her crotch multiple times — throughout her employment at E! from 2007-13. Seacrest has staunchly denied her allegations and accused her of blackmail, and his employers have stood by him.

On Sunday night, stars including Allison Janney, Christopher Plummer, Rita Moreno, Mary J. Blige, Taraji P. Henson, Whoopi Goldberg and Tiffany Haddish chatted with Seacrest. But nominees from major categories like Meryl Streep, Margot Robbie and Timothée Chalamet didn’t, along with presenter and red carpet favorite Jennifer Lawrence, who’d previously told Howard Stern that she wasn’t sure whether she’d stop for E! Still, the source says there were other factors at play.

“The Oscars is tough because there is that embargo hour for last hour leading up to the awards show where only ABC is able to air interviews. It’s hard to get some of the big names three hours before the event is going to start,” the source explains. “With the natural progression of celebrities arriving on the red carpet, a lot of it does happen closer to the awards show. Oscars specifically is a little bit more challenging because just as outlets are starting to hit a groove, then they have that embargo hour where they aren’t able to freely interview all of the celebrities who come. In years past, that doesn’t work to any other outlet’s advantage.”

The source adds that E! stands by an investigation finding “insufficient evidence” of Hardy’s allegations and calls Seacrest “a consummate professional. He does it all and he continues to do it all. I don’t think a person who wasn’t positive would be able to continue with the schedule he has to keep on a daily basis! He deserves a lot of credit.”

[From People]

Yes let’s bend over backwards to give credit to the guy who harassed a woman in front of witnesses! HE DESERVES IT! He deserves to make himself the story just in case some female employee has any kind of delusions of grandeur and thought perhaps she could do it better, with less f–king drama. Catt Sadler should have anchored the red carpet show, and the producer should have been that poor woman E! fired just because she “allowed” celebrities to criticize E! on E!.

Anyway, this is just another depressing reminder – Ryan Seacrest is pretty much untouchable professionally. And it’s awful.

Photos courtesy of WENN.