Debra Messing calls out E! for not paying Catt Sadler equally at Golden Globes
Debra Messing was not afraid to slam E! to correspondent Giuliana Rancic on the Golden Globes red carpet. Messing talked about her dismay that E! allegedly chose not to pay former host Catt Sadler an equal salary to her former co-host, Jason Kennedy.
When Rancic asked Messing about her black gown, the "Will and Grace" actress said she was wearing black in solidarity with others against sexual harassment, as part of the #TimesUp movement.
But then Messing criticized Rancic's network, E!, by saying, "Time is up and we want diversity and we want intersectional gender parity. We want equal pay, and I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn't believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as male co-hosts."
She continued, saying, "I mean, I miss Catt Sadler, and so we stand with her, and that's something that can change tomorrow. We want people to start having the conversations that women are just as valuable as men."
Rancic moved on and did not respond to Messing's criticism.
In December, Sadler announced that she was leaving E! after finding out that Kennedy made "close to double" her salary. Sadler said the anchor job there was a "dream come true," but she decided to leave after E! did not meet her request for a salary close to Kennedy's.
Sadler wrote on her website, "It was important for me to explain my departure." She said that hosting both the new show "Daily Pop" and "E! News" this year was "one of the most fulfilling years" of her professional career, but her joy was dampened when an executive informed her that "there was a massive disparity in pay" between Sadler's and Kennedy's salaries.
"I learned that [Kennedy] wasn't just making a little more than I was. In fact, he was making close to double my salary for the past several years," she wrote. "My team and I asked for what I know I deserve and were denied repeatedly."
Sadler admitted that as the single mom of two boys, quitting was "scary," but vowed she will "find more work."
An E! spokesperson responded at the time and said in a statement to CBS News, "E! compensates employees fairly and appropriately based on their roles, regardless of gender. We appreciate Catt Sadler's many contributions at E! News and wish her all the best following her decision to leave the network."
