A long-time E! News host has abruptly left the channel after learning her co-host earned double her salary
- Catt Sadler hosted programs on the E! channel for 12 years.
- She learned that co-host Jason Kennedy earned double her salary for essentially the same job.
- She decided not to renew her contract.
Catt Sadler, a long-time E! News host, walked away from her role upon learning her co-host early double her salary, People reported.
She discovered the discrepancy when her contract came up for negotiating, saying she learned co-host Jason Kennedy made double her salary for several years despite doing "essentially similar jobs, if not the same job."
"It's almost insulting because you know you work really hard," she told People. She continued:
"I'm a single mom of two kids. I've given my all to this network. I've sacrificed time away from my family and I have dedicated my entire career to this network. And when you learn something like that, it makes you feel very small and underappreciated and undervalued. It's heartbreaking."
A representative for E! said the company "compensates employees fairly and appropriately based on their roles, regardless of gender," according to People.
The gender wage gap persists in America, where women make 77 cents for every dollar men make. Some economists say that while it's true some women receive lower pay for equal work, a contributing factor to the gap may also be related to job choices and hours worked.
But cases like Sadler's show that in the entertainment industry, wage gaps between men and women exist for very similar jobs.
Earlier in the year, well-respected women in the media industry spoke out about the disparity in pay, and Sadler pointed to these women as a reason she decided to walk away from her job.
"It's like I now feel inspired and empowered by these women before me who refused to be silent," says Sadler, referencing Jennifer Lawrence, Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou. "And I now join them in what I believe to be a very important movement towards creating change."