Ryan Seacrest's red carpet smackdown

Amidst the sexual misconduct claims against him, Ryan Seacrest was front and centre at this year's Academy Awards to present the red carpet show for E!.

When he interviewed Taraji P. Henson, though, she appeared to throw some major shade at the presenter.

The actress was chatting to Ryan about the incredible double-Oscar nominee Mary J. Blige, whom she is presenting an award to.

But then the Hidden Figures star dropped a major bomb.

• The Oscars will not have a #TimesUp dress code

• Exclusive: Brad Pitt won't be attending the Oscars with Jen Aniston

Grabbing Ryan's chin and staring meaningfully into his eyes, she made an oh-so-pointed comment.

"The universe has a way of protecting the best people," Taraji said.

"Do you know what I mean?"

Getting even sassier, Taraji smirked at Ryan and prolonged the somewhat confrontational eye contact.

The shade didn't go unnoticed, with many taking to social media over Taraji's "feminist missile".

One person even took it as far as to say the actress "ended Ryan Seacrest's life".

It was reported there was a 30-second delay on the feed just in case of any mishaps which may occur as a result of the claims against Seacrest, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The network did not confirm the lag to THR, simply saying it was "business as usual".

If there was, it didn't seem to help, though.

Last week former E! stylist Suzie Hardy, claimed in a tell-all interview with Variety that she suffered "years of unwanted sexual aggression" while working for Seacrest from 2007 to 2013.

However, Seacrest has denied the allegations.

“This person who has accused me of horrible things tried to buy her silence by asking for money on multiple occasions," he told Page Six. "I refused."

"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.”

The American Idol host went on to declare his continued support for the #MeToo and Time's Up movements, saying he does "applaud all the brave souls who have come forward to share their stories".

Got a story tip? Send it to tips@yahoo7.com.au

Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram