Ryan Seacrest's trial marriage with Shayna Taylor may be the only way to save his career
Ryan Seacrest, who's been clobbered by sexual harassment allegations and dismal American Idol ratings, is apparently looking at getting a trial marriage so as to save his career and salvage his battered reputation in the industry.
The 'Live with Kelly and Ryan' co-host has moved in with his girl pal Shayna Taylor in his New York City home and is calling it his first step towards stepping in front of the altar.
However, if there is a marriage on the cards, it will not be for romantic purposes. Rather, it's going to be strictly business-only.
According to a source from Radar Online, “This is all about protecting his brand,” adding that “Ryan is a daytime TV personality who’s trying to bring back the nighttime franchise that made him a multimillionaire.”
“If America starts putting its focus on him getting married, they’ll forget all this other stuff and return to ‘Idol’ in droves,” further explained the source.
Ever since Seacrest fell off the eyes of the public as their favorite “all-American” host, his reputation has received quite a beating, with multiple reports claiming that a lot of A-list celebrities have refused to be seen interviewing with him after his recent sexual harassment allegations surfaced.
Moreover, the ratings for the recently launched American Idol have somehow been in the proverbial toilet, and his behind-the-scenes issues with his Live with Kelly and Ryan co-host have also not helped his case very much.
Seacrest and his 26-year-old model girlfriend have been constantly photographed together since February this year, which is almost around the same time as his first sexual assault allegation came into the news via his former personal stylist, Suzie Hardy.
As was earlier reported, the single mother accused Seacrest of grinding up against her while dressed only in his underwear. She also claimed that he even groped her once, all the while slapping her butt so hard that it left a huge welt which was very much visible hours later.
Hardy said in her allegations that she put up with Seacrest's constant abuse till 2013, but when she tried to report his behavior to human resources executives at the firm, her services were terminated.
After Hardy came out in the open with her allegations against the TV host in the wake of the Time's Up movement, Seacrest openly refuted all the allegations and tried to get his name in the clear on many occasions, even issuing a statement of his own.
"This person who has accused me of horrible things offered, on multiple occasions, to withdraw her claims if I paid her millions of dollars. I refused. I have worked extremely hard to achieve my success and I don’t take my opportunities for granted. I don’t want to accuse anyone of not telling the truth but in this case, I have no choice but to again deny the claims against me, remind people that I was recused of any wrongdoing, and put the matter to rest," read the statement from Seacrest.
Ever since the assault allegations, Seacrest has also hired a gay male stylist for himself and is reportedly wary of hiring any female person for the job.
Seacrest and Taylor began dating shortly after he broke up with his ex-girlfriend and Dancing With The Stars alum Julianne Hough, but the couple split up only after a year-and-half of being in a relationship. However, the couple has now gotten back together, and if they get married, this will be the first for both of them.
