Debra Messing used a Golden Globes red carpet interview to talk about the #TIMESUP movement and noted in an interview with cable channel E! that the network doesn’t pay its female hosts the same as its male hosts.
Speaking with host Giuliana Rancic during E!’s “Live from the Red Carpet” pre-show, Messing noted that she, like most of the celebrities at the awards show, wore black to the show in solidarity for women’s rights.
“I am wearing black to thank and honor all of the brave whistleblowers who came forward, shared their stories of harassment, assault, and discrimination,” Messing told Rancic on the red carpet. “I’m wearing black too, to stand in solidarity with my sisters all over the globe, and I’m here to celebrate, the rollout of this incredible is movement #TimesUp. It is time is up and we, want diversity, we want intersectional gender parity, equal pay.”
The #TIMESUP movement was a response to numerous women coming forward to accuse powerful men in Hollywood of sexual misconduct, and the revelation that many people in the industry had known about the actions of the men accused for years. Celebrities at the Golden Globes wore black to the show as part of the movement to battle against sexual abuse and harassment in workplaces across the country and the world.
Messing went further during her interview to call out E! even during her interview with the network, referencing a recent pay dispute between host Catt Sadler and E!. Sadler left the network after she said she learned that a male host who was hired at about the same time as her, and for roughly the same job, had been making nearly double her salary.
“I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believing in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts,” Messing continued during the interview. “I miss Catt Sadler. So we stand with her. That’s something that can change tomorrow, you know. We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men.”