Debra Messing Calls Out E! for Gender Pay Gap on the Golden Globes Red Carpet
Debra Messing caused a stir on the Golden Globes red carpet when she voiced her opinion on unequal pay between men and women. During a red carpet interview with E! ’s Giuliana Rancic, the Will & Grace star brought up the network’s former anchor Catt Sadler, who revealed in December that she left E! after discovering she made less than half the salary of her male co-host.
"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 and so we stand with her. And that's something that can change tomorrow. We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men,” she told Rancic.
Debra Messing drags E! (while being interviewed on E!): "I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn't believing in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts" pic.twitter.com/HF3B2uhwtF
— David Mack (@davidmackau) January 7, 2018
Sadler announced her decision to leave E! News after 12 years, explaining that negotiations fell apart when she was unwilling to accept a salary that was far less than her co-star’s. "When E reached out to renew and extend my deal, I learned that he 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 posted. "The gender pay gap is shrinking, although admittedly we have a long way to go. And well, I learned this first hand. My team and I asked for what I know I deserve and were denied repeatedly.”
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Messing also spoke about standing in solidarity with Time’s Up and wearing black on the Golden Globes red carpet. “I am wearing black to thank and honor all of the great whistleblowers who came forward and shared their stories of harassment and assault and discrimination. I’m wearing black to stand in solidarity with my sisters all over the globe. And I’m here to celebrate the rollout of this incredible initiative, Time’s Up,” she said.
“We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men,” Messing added. “Time is up. We want diversity. We want intersectional gender parity, we want equal pay.”
