People Are Applauding Debra Messing For Calling Out E! On Its Own Red Carpet Show

The Golden Globes Red Carpet show is typically a time when the women of Hollywood show off some glamorous outfits. However, this year, women opted to wear only black to support the victims of sexual harassment and assault. What really has people talking though is a Debra Messing interview with E! Host Giuliana Rancic.

Messing, one of the stars of Will and Grace, which returned to television this year and was nominated for two awards, was pulled aside for an interview with the E! host who asked the actress why she was wearing black. Messing replied that it was to support the Time’s Up Initiative, but then called out the network for some of its own issues.

“I was shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts,” Messing said, pointing out the recent controversy behind E!’s apparent pay inequality between men and women. Those remarks in the Debra Messing interview were in regard to the departure of host Catt Sadler.

Catt Sadler made her departure from the network last month after an executive revealed to her that her co-host Jason Kennedy was making nearly double her salary.

“We are living in a new era. The gender pay gap is shrinking, although admittedly we have a long way to go,” Sadler said in her statement about leaving the network.

This year, the Golden Globes red carpet was a moment for the women of Hollywood to stand up for each other, and Debra Messing did so in one of the most audacious ways possible.

Not only did she call out a network for its problems with pay inequality, but she did it right to the network’s face. A lot of E! Executives were probably not happy about that.

During the Debra Messing interview, the actress also eloquently explained the reason she and so many other women were wearing black. “I am wearing black to thank and honour all of the brave whistleblowers who came forward…”

Messing concluded her interview by saying “We stand with her — that’s something that can change tomorrow. We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men.”

After the Debra Messing interview aired, there was an outpouring of support on Twitter. People were especially pleased that Messing called out E! During their own interview.

While there has been some progress in confronting the culture of sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood, Debra Messing made it clear that there is still a long way to go.

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