Debra Messing Dragged E! While Being Interviewed on E! & Twitter Is HERE For It
The 75th annual Golden Globe Awards have barely started yet, and the red carpet is already on fire. One particular moment that has everyone on social media talking is an interview Debra Messing had on E! News' red carpet in which she high-key called out E! News for its part in perpetuating the wage gap. Seriously, the tweets about Debra Messing calling out E! at the Golden Globes show people are absolutely here for what Messing said.
While being interviewed on the red carpet, instead of gushing about the designer of her dress or the TV shows she loves, Messing decided to call out the widespread issues regarding pay disparity between male and female employees, of which E! News is a large part as was recently revealed.
"I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believe in paying their female co-host the same as their male co-host," Messing told E! News correspondent Giuliana Rancic. "I miss Catt Sadler, so we stand with her. And that’s something that can change tomorrow."
Catch the moment for yourself below:
DAMN, DEBRA, YOU TELL 'EM. I'M SWEATING IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE, so I can only imagine how everyone at E! News is feeling about this right now.
Needless to say, everyone on Twitter is absolutely applauding Messing for her bold move on the carpet.
Messing's jab at E! News comes after longtime E! News co-host Catt Sadler left the network after claiming her male co-host, Jason Kennedy, was being paid twice as much as she was. Regarding why she made the decision to depart from E!, Sadler wrote on her website,
Coincidentally, around this same time an executive from E brought something alarming to my attention – namely, that there was a massive disparity in pay between my similarly situated male co-host and myself. More recently, 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.
Sadler went on to say that she felt it was important for her to speak up about the pay disparity:
How can I operate with integrity and stay on at E if they’re not willing to pay me the same as him? Or at least come close? How can I accept an offer that shows they do not value my contributions and paralleled dedication all these years? How can I not echo the actions of my heroes and stand for what is right no matter what the cost? How can I remain silent when my rights under the law have been violated?
In a statement given to USA Today, E! News refuted Sadler's claims, stating that it compensates all employees fairly:
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.
Following Messing's comment during her Golden Globes red carpet interview, other celebrities also voiced their support of Catt Sadler — Eva Longoria and Sarah Jessica Parker, to name a couple.
In an interview on the red carpet, Longoria said, "We're also here for Time's Up, we support gender equity and equal pay, and we hope that E! follows that lead with Catt as well. We stand with you, Catt."
Kudos to these actresses and many, many more for supporting the idea that women deserve equal pay for equal work, and here's hoping E! News — in addition to many other large corporations — continues working to assure men and women are compensated and treated equally.
