No drama here…
As we reported in December 2017, Catt Sadler announced she was leaving E! after learning cohost Jason Kennedy “was making double [her] salary and has been for several years.”
According to an US Weekly source that same month, the female journalist made “about $600,000 per year,” while her male counterpart raked in “around $1 million a year, maybe $1.2 million.”
Related: Jennifer Lawrence & Jessica Chastain Support Catt Sadler!
Despite the media frenzy, Sadler is still friendly with her former coworker.
On Monday, the 43-year-old attended Equal Pay Day for Luna Bar where she told Us Weekly:
“We’re friends… My relationship hasn’t changed with any of the people├óΓé¼┬ª 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… That was my work family for many, many years and I love those people dearly.”
In fact, in a December Instagram post, the former Daily Pop host told her followers “to please not place blame on [her] friend Jason Kennedy” as “it hurts [her] deeply to see that some are vilifying him.”
Controversy aside, Sadler is using her newfound platform to fight for equal pay, and to empower women from all walks of life.
“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… 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.”
Although she has received support from several A-list stars, she was most blown away by Amy Schumer‘s kind words.
“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, ├óΓé¼╦£Yeah, what’s up with that?’… 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.”
Oh, and she appreciates Jennifer Lawrence and Natalie Portman vouching for her too.
“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… 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.”
As we reported in February, Sadler told Maria Menounos she may potentially sue E! as “it is unlawful to discriminate” based on gender.
[Image via Catt Sadler/Instagram.]
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