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    Catt Sadler Explains How She Really Found Out She Was Being "Severely Underpaid" At E!

    "I knew if I just accepted what was offered to me, that would conflict with who I was."

    It's been nearly two months since Catt Sadler announced her departure from E! after learning her male colleague, Jason Kennedy, was being paid double her salary.

    Since speaking out on the topic, Catt's received a ton of support from celebrities and fans, most notably from Debra Messing and Eva Longoria at the Golden Globes.

    Debra Messing called out E! for the way it treated Catt Sadler, longtime host of the entertainment channel’s “E! Ne… https://t.co/nbRpTRVzF4

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    And now, the former daytime entertainment news anchor is opening up about it all. In a recent interview with The View, Catt explained how she really found out about the gender pay gap and what caused her to leave the company after being with them for 12 years.

    "About a year ago, a female executive had said, 'Just so you know, you are severely underpaid.' This was in confidence, in a closed-door meeting."

    Catt decided to bring this information up in an upcoming negotiations meeting, with hopes that the higher-ups would do the right thing, but it didn't work out that way.

    "The entire point of that negotiation was — let's ask for what is right. My male counterpart is making A, well I should be making A, or at least close to A."

    The 43-year-old Indiana native revealed Jason might have been making a "a little more" than double her salary. Catt said "it hurt" because she'd been with the company for so long, she believed she had the same role as Jason, and they started at the same time.

    “I mean, [the same] ‘exact’ [job] is subjective, but yes, we were on the same show, E! News, as fixtures, most nights. We started at the same time, 12 years ago. We had the same, for all intents and purposes, experience, skill sets, same public profile — for me it was really apples to apples."

    E! responded to her claims, assuring they practice equal pay at the network.

    There is a lot of misinformation out there. Catt Sadler and Jason Kennedy had different roles and therefore different salaries. Catt was focused on daytime. Jason Kennedy is on primetime evening news, plus red carpet. Our employee’s salaries are based on their roles and their expertise regardless of gender. We wish Catt well, but I hope that sets the record straight on that.

    But when it came to actually quitting, Catt said, "they didn't think I would."

    "I knew if I just accepted what was offered to me, that would conflict with who I was. You guys know what it's like to go on air every day — you have to do it in an authentic and genuine way. I knew if I settled, I wouldn't do the network or fans any good."

    So, what's her next move? Catt's headed to the Oscars and finding ways to further the discussion on inequality in the workplace!

    “I’ve got a lot in the works. This is not my story, this is so many women’s story. So a lot of the things I’m working on now are to expose that and use my gift of storytelling or reporting to do these interviews and talk about equal pay, and sexual harassment, and the #MeToo movement."

    The mother of two will also be covering Vanity Fair's red carpet Oscar afterparty.

    To listen to Catt Sadler's full interview with The View, watch the video below.

    View this video on YouTube

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