E! boss defends Catt Sadler's wage gap and gets immediately called out

Today in Making Excuses for Sexism, NBCU Lifestyle Network president, Frances Berwick, cited everything from "misinformation" to the role of "expertise" as reasons for why E! was paying female host Catt Sadler nearly half as much as her male counterpart, Jason Kennedy.

Sadler left her long-standing position at E! late last month after becoming aware of the enormous pay gap and decided to take a stand as the industry's culture of misogyny faces a seismic shift.

But in statements made at the Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday, Berwick claimed that the two co-hosts, "had different roles, and therefore different salaries." She went on to explain that, "Catt was focused on daytime; Jason Kennedy is on prime evening news, plus red carpet. 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.”

People in the industry immediately started criticizing these justifications:

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In Sadler's statement back in December, she preemptively addressed what has become an overused and flimsy excuse given to explain why a woman's work is less valuable: differing "expertise."

"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,” she wrote on her website. "My team and I asked for what I know I deserve and were denied repeatedly."

At the Golden Globes, female stars were not afraid to call out E!'s hypocrisy during red carpet interviews, often criticizing the very network broadcasting them. Eva Longoria, Amy Schumer, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Olivia Munn, and Debra Messing used the night's Time's Up theme as a platform to demand the network right this wrong.

"I was so shocked to hear that E! Doesn't believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-host," said Will and Grace star Debra Messing. "I mean I miss Catt Sadler. So we stand with her. That's something that can change tomorrow, you know."

The #imwithcattsad hashtag continued the solidarity online and, in a statement made to People, Sadler expressed her gratitude. "I am immensely grateful for the outpouring of support today. Thank you to Amy, Debra, Eva, Brie, Julianne, and so many more women using their voices on behalf of us all. Time’s Up.”

Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly identified Frances Berwick as male. We regret the inaccuracy, and rectified the error.