She’s right – and it’s yet another example of the burden of assault falling on women.

Aside from being overwhelmingly the victims of assault, women often have to deal with the fallout, too. We’re asked whether we want to stand by our partners or friends accused of assault – and punished no matter what we decide.

You only have to look at the headlines around the James Franco allegations to see this in action: his sister-in-law Alison Brie has faced more questioning around the allegations than he has.

And we’re also chastised for dealing with our own assaults in the ‘wrong’ way. We’re told we’re wrong for reporting assault (“but you could ruin someone’s career!”) and doubted if we don’t (“if it happened, why didn’t you just report it?”). There’s no way we can win.

Putting women in the position where they have to choose whether or not they very publicly talk to someone accused of assault is another way of doing this – and yet another way the burden of assault falls on women.

Some women – including prominent #TimesUp activists Mina Sorvino and Ashley Judd – chose not to speak to Seacrest, and were immediately accused of participating in a ‘witch hunt’ by viewers tweeting along with the ceremony. “#MeToo is becoming a witch hunt” one viewer wrote; others complained that the movement had “gone too far”.

Choosing to speak to him was equally catastrophic: “why are so many people talking to Ryan Seacrest?” another tweeter wrote. There was no ‘right’ way to deal with the issue, it seemed.

E! News says it believes that the allegations against Seacrest are baseless – which is presumably why he was allowed to continue presenting. But in doing so, they put women in yet another difficult position – exactly what Hollywood claims it’s trying to avoid.

If the entertainment industry really is interested in making life less traumatic, stressful and uncomfortable for women? It should stop presenting them with difficult choices that shouldn’t be theirs to make. All the worst elements of sexual assault – the trauma, the stigma, not being believed – are all ours to bear. This one’s on you.

Images: Rex Features

“Ryan Seacrest proves that the burden of dealing with assault still falls on women”