Golden Globes 2018: Debra Messing calls out E! on pay inequality during red carpet 
 
 Debra Messing drags E! (while being interviewed on E!): "I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn't believing in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts" pic.twitter.com/HF3B2uhwtF — David Mack (@davidmackau) January 7, 2018 
 
 The 75th annual Golden Globes red carpet on Sunday, Jan. 7, started out hot — and not only because of the poignant styles but the political message made in black by just about everyone at the award show. 
 
 Debra Messing, in particular, did not take any time at all to make her presence and stance known. When approached by E! correspondent Giuliana Rancic, the “Will & Grace” star got straight to the point about why she was wearing her black gown. 
 
 “I am wearing black to thank and honor all the great whistle blowers,” Messing said, referring to the several women — and men — who have called out Hollywood’s elite about years of sexual harassment and abuse after the Harvey Weinstein scandal. “We want diversity, we want intersectional gender parity, we want equal pay.” 
 
 She then dove right in to call out the fact that longtime E! personality Catt Sadler was missing. After more than a decade, Sadler signed off with the entertainment network last month and revealed that the company had been paying her half as much as her “E! News” co-host Jason Kennedy. 
 
 “I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts. I mean, I miss Catt Sadler,” Messing told Rancic, who did not comment on her former E! co-worker. “We stand with her and that’s something that can change tomorrow. We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men.” 
 
 Throughout the night, several other celebrities on the red carpet continued to call out E!, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Eva Longoria. 
 
 Messing’s show, which made a big return last year after a decade off air, is up for a Golden Globe award for best television series — musical and comedy tonight. 
 
 The 2018 Golden Globes is being held at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton, airing live at 5 p.m. on NBC with host Seth Meyers. Keep up with all the buzz at the show with us on www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment. 
 
 Mariecar Mendoza is The San Francisco Chronicle arts content editor. Email: mmendoza@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SFMarMendozaInstagram: @sfchronicle_scene 

 The only thing I like about award shows - which are stupid - is when people like Debra Messing use the platform to get real. Also, Debra Messing for POTUS. 

 “It’s heartbreaking in one sense, but I believe that you have to act in alignment with your beliefs,” Ms. Sadler said in that interview. “As much as I wanted to stay, I do know my worth, I do know the inner workings of the network, and I just wanted what was fair and reasonable.” 
 
 The network, which would not provide pay details of the two hosts, denied that it paid Ms. Sadler less because she is a woman, saying in a statement that it “compensates employees fairly and appropriately based on their roles, regardless of gender.” It also said the roles of Ms. Sadler and Mr. Kennedy were not comparable. 
 
 Ms. Sadler was one of three hosts on “Daily Pop,” and she co-hosted the network’s flagship “E! News” twice a week. She co-hosted both shows five days a week for several months but cut back on “E! News” because of the strain of doing both every day, she said in December.
– "Bravo Debra Messing for dragging E! news while appearing on E! news," People news editor Nigel Smith tweets. "I think she just set the tone for the night." The San Francisco Chronicle reports that last month Catt Sadler left E! after more than a decade while revealing that she was paid half what her E! News co-host Jason Kennedy was paid. Messing didn't hold her tongue when interviewed by E! on the red carpet ahead of the 75th annual Golden Globes on Sunday. “I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts. I mean, I miss Catt Sadler,” the Will & Grace star told correspondent Giuliana Rancic. “We stand with her." Messing added: "That’s something that can change tomorrow. We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men.” Messing's boldness got a reaction online, with the praise on social media being summed up by one tweeter: "Debra Messing for POTUS." Messing wasn't the only star to bring up Sadler. “We support gender equity and equal pay, and we hope that E! follows that lead with Catt as well," the New York Times quotes Eva Longoria as telling Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet. "We stand with you, Catt.”