Seacrest, cleared of sexual harassment, to host E! Oscars

New York

NBCUNIVERSAL defended talk show host Ryan Seacrest against sexual harassment allegations on Tuesday, and said he would not be removed from Academy Awards coverage on the entertainment network E!, where discussion of sexual misconduct in Hollywood is expected to loom large.

The allegations, which first surfaced in November, were made by Seacrest's former personal stylist, Suzie Hardy, who worked with him between 2007 and 2013 while he was employed by E! News, a network owned by NBCUniversal.