Ryan Seacrest: Sexual misconduct claims by actor's former stylist branded "untrue"

Ryan Seacrest joins an ever increasing list of Hollywood top stars who have been accused by one or more women, of sexual misconduct during the duration of their career.

Ryan Seacrest has denied the sexual misconduct allegations levelled against him by one of his former stylists.

According to the reports, the stylist identified as Suzie Hardy was a single mother at the time she began working with the E! and “American Idol” presenter and producer, as his stylist in 2007.

An exclusive report by Variety reveals that a letter was written from Hardy’s attorney and addressed to Seacrest, E!, and its corporate parent NBC Universal, stating that the job went well enough at the beginning.

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According to the letter, Seacrest began rubbing his penis up against hardy while in his underwear, groping her vagina, and once slapped her buttock so hard a" large welt" appeared for hours.

The letter also revealed that Hardy endured the abuse because of her child, but later lost her job in 2013 after reporting the abuse to human resources executives at E!.

E! has, however, stated that an internal investigation has been carried out and it was found that there was “insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest.”

Representing Seacrest, Andrew Baum, while speaking to Variety, said that Hardy had asked Seacrest for the sum of $15 million, after which she would not go forward with the “false claims.”

He said: "It is upsetting to us that Variety is electing to run a ‘story’ about untrue allegations that were made against my client after they were told that the accuser threatened to make those false claims against him unless he paid her $15 million.

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

"On January 31st the network notified us that their independent third-party investigation had concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support her claims, effectively, clearing my client’s name.

"It’s telling that after my client refused to pay her money, and the E! investigation resulted as it did, that she is now coming forward to share her debunked story to the press."

Sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry

Ryan Seacrest joins an ever increasing list of Hollywood top stars who have been accused by one or more women, of sexual misconduct during the duration of their career.

Recall that Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment by several women, putting an indelible stain on his glittering career.

The Oscar-winning movie mogul, who was able to make or break careers, was forced out of his own company on Sunday, October 8, as the scandal bloomed.

The board of Weinstein Company's said it had sacked him "in light of new information about misconduct" in an explosive New York Times article detailing decades of legal settlements stemming from sexual harassment allegations by numerous women.

Some popular actresses who also accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct include Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong'O, Ashley Judd amongst others.

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The 65-year-old tycoon, who was said to have been fighting to remain at the company, issued a bizarre statement apologizing for his actions without addressing any specific allegations.

Appearing in part to justify his behavior and misquoting the rapper Jay Z,he said:

"I came of age in the '60s and '70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then," said Weinstein, a prominent Democratic Party donor whose personal wealth is estimated at around $150 million.

Kevin Spacey

As soon as Hervey Weinstein's sexual misconduct case hit the media, even more victims of sexual harrasment came out of the wood works to accuse other celebrities, such as Kevin Spacey of lewd sexual behaviour.

A man accused Kevin Spacey of attempting to rape him when he was 15, amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment and assault against the "House of Cards" star.

In an interview with the Vulture website, the man, speaking on conditions of anonymity, said he took part in an acting class taught by Spacey when he was 12.

Two years later, they began what the man described in the interview as a "sexual relationship."

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Then when he was 15, Spacey attempted to rape him at his apartment, the man said, after which he ended the relationship.

"I would call him a pedophile and a sexual predator," he said.

According to report, eight people who worked on the "House of Cards" political drama told CNN that the actor engaged in sexual harassment on set, typically targeting young men, while one of the eight said Spacey sexually assaulted him.

Netflix has indefinitely suspended production of "House of Cards" in the wake of allegations against Spacey, after already announcing that the upcoming sixth season of the show would be its last.

Finally firing the movie guru, Netflix reportedly lost a whooping $39 million.

Other celebrities who have been accused of sexual misconduct include, Robert Knepper,