Jennifer Lawrence unsure on Ryan Seacrest allegations: ‘I think it is scary’

Seacrest’s case is functioning as something of a test for how the industry responds to uncertainty, given that he was cleared by his network after an outside counsel determined there was insufficient evidence to support his accuser’s claims. All seemed to have been going well for Seacrest until that accuser, a former wardrobe stylist, took her story public this week, outlining specific allegations of harassment and claiming E!’s investigation was rigged.

Where do you go from there? Unlike many accused men, Seacrest was actually investigated and found innocent. The public will have to weigh that fact against the allegations themselves, an exercise that produces no clear answers.

Publicists are reportedly planning to route their celebrity clients away from Seacrest on Sunday’s red carpet, seeking to avoid any conflict. That’s an early indication the industry’s future response to similar situations won’t be favorable to the accused.

The Seacrest saga even left Jennifer Lawrence grasping for answers on Thursday.

“I think it is scary,” the actress told Howard Stern. “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.”

Lawrence’s allusion to due process is not an atypical reaction. Of course, in most harassment cases, the alleged conduct isn’t criminal, and won’t land in a courtroom. But part of what makes Seacrest’s case interesting is that he was actually investigated.

In Lawrence’s words, that’s exactly “where this stuff gets tricky.”

If Seacrest and his accuser continue to find themselves locked in this stalemate indefinitely, and nothing more appears to tip the scales emerges, it’s looking like the uncertainty alone will be enough to dog his career. Whether that’s right or wrong, I’m not sure. Tellingly, even Lawrence admitted she doesn’t know whether she’ll avoid Seacrest during her own trip down the red carpet on Sunday.