Did Jason Kennedy Work Harder Than Catt Sadler?
by EG
Catt Sadler made it clear that she was leaving her job at E! News because of the pay disparity between herself and fellow anchor Jason Kennedy. Since then, there's been backlash from the network, whose spokesperson says that Kennedy made more than Sadler because he, among other things, covered red-carpet events. We're not sure why that justifies his making nearly twice as much as Sadler, and neither is Sadler.
Catt Sadler has spent years delivering the news. Now she's the story.
The veteran E! News host exited the network Dec. 19 and dropped the mic in a major way by announcing on her fashion and beauty blog, The Catt Walk, that she was leaving after 12 years because she found out that she made considerably less money than colleague Jason Kennedy. The news sent shock waves through E! and the vibrations have not ended.
On the red carpet ahead of Sunday's Golden Globes, Debra Messing, Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria all brought up Sadler's name, offering their support. Amy Schumer posted on Instagram, calling for stars to take action with the hashtag #imwithcattsad.
“These are women who have watched E! and been interviewed by me for years. To witness them organically coming to my defense was truly touching," Sadler told The Hollywood Reporter on Monday. "This isn’t a case of simply being underpaid, it’s about the gross disparity between two similarly situated equals at the network."
But then on Tuesday during a TCA panel for Rose McGowan's new docuseries, NBCUniversal's president of Lifestyle Networks Frances Berwick said that "there is a lot of misinformation out there" regarding the situation, especially in regard to Kennedy and Sadler not being equal. It's a stance that the network has taken ever since Sadler gave notice, and one that was backed up by Kennedy's wife, Lauren Scruggs Kennedy, who posted on her blog that Kennedy was not the villain but an empathetic partner who had also found himself on the losing end of gender pay gap when he made less than two of his female co-hosts.
"Catt Sadler and Jason Kennedy had different roles and therefore different salaries. Catt was focused on daytime. Jason Kennedy is on prime, evening news, plus red carpet," Berwick said Tuesday. "Our employees’ salaries are based on their roles and their expertise, regardless of gender. So we wish Catt well, but I hope that sets the record straight on that."
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
Do you believe that Jason Kennedy worked twice as hard as Catt Sadler? Sound off in the comments below.