It’s been nearly four months since Catt Sadler left E! News over a pay disparity between her and Jason Kennedy, and while the entertainment host is certainly not done fighting for equal pay, she revealed that her relationship with her former cohost is on good terms.
“We’re friends,” the former Daily Pop host, 43, told Us at Equal Pay Day for Luna Bar on Monday, April 9. “My relationship hasn’t changed with any of the people … It’s no one’s fault and even as these stories come out about other male, female stars or other people, like where the male’s getting paid more, the guys aren’t the target. It’s the system that’s the problem. It’s the systematic way that things are, this pervasive gap. That’s the problem.”
She added, “That was my work family for many, many years and I love those people dearly.”
Us Weekly exclusively revealed in December 2017 that Sadler was quitting her job at E! after more than a decade at the network. She confirmed the news on her blog, TheCattWalk, explaining that she discovered a “massive disparity in pay” between her and Kennedy, 36. (E! told Us Weekly at the time that the network “compensates employees fairly and appropriately based on their roles.”)
“It’s an honor now to have a platform and I realize so many women do not. But it’s about kind of empowering yourself,” Sadler told Us on Monday about her new role. “The resources are out there. I mean, thanks to companies like this and a lot of people that have really been organizing to make a difference, roll up their sleeves and do a little bit of the work to learn what the stats are, first of all, and that you’re not alone in this fight. There are many women and men that are joining together to make a difference and then use that to your advantage. It’s great to know your worth but you have to be able to act on it and pay inequality. There are many variables that contribute to where we are today, but there are definitely some things we can do ourselves to make a difference.”
Since her departure from E!, Sadler has received support from numerous celebrities, including Debra Messing, Jennifer Lawrence, Eva Longoria, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman and Olivia Munn. The reporter, who called the encouragement “mind-blowing,” revealed to Us that the most surprising support came from comedian Amy Schumer.
“I didn’t expect Amy Schumer. I mean, how cool is that? And in such an organic way, that she’s hanging out on her Instagram and she’s like, ‘Yeah, what’s up with that?’” Sadler told Us. “She just like suddenly came to my defense and I was friendly with her but we weren’t buds or anything. But she was upset on my behalf just naturally on her own. So I was surprised by that and I’ve had several conversations with her since but she’s just another force that’s just like so bold, so not afraid, and we all have the women that we look to that inspire us. She is one of them.”
“Jennifer Lawrence is one of them. I mean, I idolize Natalie Portman. The fact that she stood up for me at the Golden Globes, so that’s what I hope to kind of continue to do,” Sadler added. “That’s why I want to do meaningful work because I hear from some of these girls who watched me on TV all these years, who want me to keep going on this issue and so they feel me now. So hopefully that’s the beauty of females and mentors and just getting inspired in general, so it’s cool.”
Fans can get involved with Sadler’s partnership with Luna Bar by utilizing the company’s “Negotiate Your Worth Checklist.” Luna Bar is also offering a 20 percent discount on all bars through Saturday, April 14, and is matching the discount amount with a donation to AAUW (American Association of University Women).
