photo credit:  Tinseltown // Shutterstock

Ryan Seacrest is the next celeb to be hit with sexual assault allegations. His former stylist says during her 6 years as his stylist, she encountered sexual harassment by Seacrest, and was fired in 2013 after making complaints to E’s Human Resources department. The accuser, Suzie Hardy, says she endured the inappropriate behavior because she has to provide for her preschool-aged daughter. The job gave her good pay and a schedule that allowed her to pick her daughter up from school.

Hardy’s lawyer sent a letter to channel E!, its corporate parent NBCUniveral, and Seacrest, addressing the unwanted sexual behavior. According to Hardy and her lawyer, Seacrest would grinding his erect penis against her while in his underwear, groping her vagina, and at one point slapping her buttock so hard that it left a large welt still visible hours later.

Seacrest has denied all allegations saying the allegations are “reckless.” Seacrest explains how a full investigation was done by a third party and involved many interviews with him, the accusers, and witnesses. “Ultimately, my name was cleared. I eagerly participated in the investigation in order to demonstrate my innocence because I know my truth, and I believe in due process.”

A former co-worker who witnessed the harassment spoke on the “Today” show saying the stylist “would go to tie his shoe and Ryan would shove her head toward his crotch. I saw that more than once.”

Another sources dismissed the new information, saying the former co-worker is a friend of Hardy, and that there were other witnesses who disputed the harassment claims.

According to Vulture, on Wednesday, Hardy fired back at Seacrest’s denial saying, “I remained quiet for years out of fears that my story wouldn’t be believed and that I would be subject to scorn and ridicule for telling it. I was emboldened by the bravery of others to finally and confidentially tell my story to NBC. Ryan elected to take the story public with a false narrative that he was exonerated and the victim of some sort of money grab. He is not the victim, and I refuse to let him victimize me for telling the truth.”

This is getting interesting.

Written by Clarke Jones