Taraji P. Henson has denied she was being shady to Ryan Seacrest during a seemingly uncomfortable exchange on the Oscars red carpet.
The ‘Empire’ actress had fans speculating if she was alluding to allegations of sexual misconduct made against Ryan when he interviewed her on Sunday (4 March) night for E!.
At one point, she smiled sweetly and grabbed his chin, after saying: “You know, the universe has a way of taking care of the good people. You know what I mean?”
However, Taraji has now responded to the theories, denying it was a loaded comment and claiming it had been “misconstrued”.
Speaking to People, she said: “I did it to keep his chin up. It’s an awkward position to be in. He’s been cleared but anyone can say anything.
When asked if she was supporting him, she replied: “Absolutely.”
Anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct surrounding Ryan from a former E! stylist first came to light in November, with the internal investigation later concluding there was insufficient evidence to support the claims.
The stylist has since identified herself as Suzie Hardy, accusing him of harassing and assaulting her while she was with the E! network from 2007 to 2013.
Ryan released a statement last Tuesday responding to the allegations, branding the report “salacious”, and claimed he’s being exploited for financial gain.
“I absolutely support this cause unequivocally and applaud all the brave souls who have come forward to share their stories,” the statement read.
“Sadly, last fall I became one of the accused, which I promptly revealed proactively to the network involved and to the public. And to be equally clear, those accusations were then investigated by an independent third-party over the course of a two-month process and involved dozens of interviews that included me, the accuser and countless others.”
He added: “I eagerly participated in the investigation in order to demonstrate my innocence because I know my truth, and I believe in due process.”
