Catt Sadler leaving E! News over gender-pay dispute

  • 20/12/2017
Catt Sadler and her co-host Jason Kennedy.
Catt Sadler and her co-host Jason Kennedy. Photo credit: Getty

E! News host Catt Sadler is leaving the show, after more than a decade with the network, after learning that co-host Jason Kennedy was earning more than double her salary.

The long-time host and single mother has been one of the faces of E! for almost 12 years, and told People the decision to leave "required a lot of soul-searching".

"Up until this point, I mean, it really has been a dream job... literally a dream job," she told the magazine. "But then, this year happened.

"I was informed and made aware that my male equivalent at the network, who I started with the same year and have come up with doing essentially similar jobs, if not the same job, wasn't just making a little bit more than me, but was making double my salary and has been for several years."

Although Sadler tried to negotiate her contract, "not only did [E!] refuse to pay me as much as my male counterpart, but they didn't come close - nowhere close, not even remotely close."

But she says she doesn't harbour any hard feelings for her former co-host.

"Jason Kennedy is one of my best friends in the whole wide world," she shares. "He is like a brother to me and in no way do I want this to reflect poorly on him.

"He's devastated, I think, and I think he believes that this is a great loss for the network. He does not want to see me go.

E! News released a statement to People, saying it compensates employees "fairly and appropriately, based on their roles, regardless of gender".

"We appreciate Catt Sadler's many contributions at E! News and wish her all the best, following her decision to leave the network."

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