Ex-E! producer: I was fired for allowing a Catt Sadler mention on E! Live from the Red Carpet

The New York Times

Amid Ryan Seacrest's sexual harassment scandal, E! Live from the Red Carpet is making more news 48 hours before its Oscars special. Aileen Gram-Moreno, who has worked as part-time producer for E! since 1990, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday, alleging she was fired after Eva Longoria said "We stand with you, Catt" at the end of an interview with Seacrest on the Golden Globes red carpet. It turns out, some of the red carpet interviews are pre-recorded, despite the show's title. And after Debra Messing criticized E! on the Globes red carpet over Sadler's allegation of unequal pay, E! instructed producers to flag any further mention of Sadler, according to Gram-Moreno. “They said, if there’s any mention of Catt in the preshow, make sure you flag it,” said Gram-Moreno. “You’re censoring celebrities; it’s just not a good idea in my humble opinion. But it wasn’t my decision.” Gram-Moreno says she listened to most of the Longoria clip, but missed the part about Sadler. E! president Adam Stotsky says there was no attempt to censor celebrities, pointing to the fact that mentions of Sadler were broadcast and that the clips are on E!'s website. He did admit, though, that E! wanted to know if Sadler's name would be mentioned ahead of time. An E! spokesperson says of Gram-Moreno: “She was asked not to return due to job performance issues. Ms. Gram-Moreno filed her legal claim after her request for a financial settlement was turned down.”