Cringing. Debra Messing slammed E! for Catt Sadler’s pay dispute while speaking to E!’s Giuliana Rancic during the 2018 Golden Globes in L.A. on Sunday, January 7. Late last month, Sadler revealed that she was leaving the network after finding out that there was a “massive” disparity in pay between herself and colleague Jason Kennedy.
The Will & Grace star, 49, took the jab after Giuliana, 43, who previously worked with Kennedy, 36, for years, asked her about the Time’s Up movement on the red carpet. (The stars are wearing black to stand up against sexual harassment and abuse across all industries.)
“I am wearing black to thank and honor all of the brave whistle blowers who came forward, shared their stories of harassment, assault. And discrimination I’m wearing black to stand in solidarity with my sisters all over the globe. And I’m here to celebrate. … We want diversity. We want intersectional gender parity, equal pay,” Messing said during the live broadcast.
She added: “I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts. I miss Catt Sadler. So we stand with her. That’s something that can change tomorrow, you know. We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men.”
Rancic didn’t specifically reply to the Sadler, 43, comment, but she did agree to the Time’s Up message and later told Messing: “Thank you for using your voice.”
Several other stars have come to Sadler’s defense in the past few weeks, including Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain. On Sunday, Eva Longoria and Brie Larson also gave a shout-out to the TV personality on Twitter.
On Sadler’s exit, E! previously told Us in a statement: “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.”
