E! anchor quits after learning she earns half the amount her male co-host makes
In her tear-filled final goodbye, Catt Sadler spoke about what had been the peak of her two-decade career: a two-hour, live entertainment news show in the middle of the day called “Daily Pop.”
“This experience for me at this table has been an absolute dream come true,” she said. “It’s live. It’s daytime. It’s so real. It’s so raw.”
But her farewell left one pivotal question dangling: Why was she leaving her dream job so soon after reaching the top?
The answer came a short time later in a post on Sadler’s personal blog that thrust the broadcaster into the ongoing debate about gender pay inequality in America.
As she spent months shuttling from the daytime “Daily Pop” to “E! News” at night, an executive at the company informed her that her co-host — a man she had lovingly referred to as “my TV husband” — was making nearly double what she made, even though they started at the network in the same year and were doing basically the same job.
Sadler never names Jason Kennedy in her post, but the pair co-hosted “Daily Pop.”
She described her decision to leave in the post:
“Know your worth. I have two decades experience in broadcasting and started at the network the very same year as my close friend and colleague that I adore. I so lovingly refer to him as my ‘TV husband’ and I mean it.
“But 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?”
Jessica Chastain, who has made workplace equality one of her priorities, chimed in.
“WOW this is so disappointing,” tweeted the Oscar-nominated actress. “When are companies like @e_entertainment going to understand that women should be paid fairly. 1/2 of her male counterpart is not appropriate.”
A spokesperson for E! did not return a message seeking comment.