On April 6, a video came out showing Sarah Silverman voice her opinion on the wage gap between men and women, so why is she now apologizing? On April 14, Sarah Silverman apologized to Al Martin for a wage gap anecdote she included in Levo's Ask4More campaign as part of Equal Pay Day. For those in need of a refresher, Silverman told a story of a time she received less pay than a man for the same work during a stand-up comedy show at the New York Comedy Club. Per Silverman, she received $10, whereas her friend earned $60.
Well, club owner Martin didn't appreciate Silverman's words and soon responded in a video posted on Facebook as follows:
I did not pay you less because of gender... I paid you less because Todd Barry was booked and you weren’t. It was a guest spot, so I gave you some car fare, which actually is more than almost any club would have given for a guest spot… Funny how in your attempt to become a super hero with a noble cause, you forgot that little fact.
Now, Silverman has issued an apology via Salon to Martin. It reads:
Oh goodness. All I can say is I remember that story exactly how I said it. I know that Todd called the club earlier in the day to let them know I was in town if they wanted me to do a set. They put me up for a 15 min spot just after Todd’s 15 min spot. I didn’t expect to get paid, that’s not why I was there, but when I got off stage Al, the sweet club owner, paid me 10 bucks and I signed the payment sheet. I was like, oh, nice. I inferred from that that this was a paid spot not a guest spot. Either way I would have been fine. Then when Todd pointed out that he received 60 dollars for the same spot I went back inside and asked Al why Todd got sixty dollars and I got ten. That’s when he certainly could have said “Because it was a guest spot, Sarah. I was just being super nice and gave you ten dollars for cab money.” But instead, (and I will always remember this exactly how he said it because it was unbelievably hilarious) he said, “Oh- did you want a $60 spot?”
Silverman said she regrets mentioning Martin by name and should have kept her story "nameless" and "faceless," because "he has always been lovely to [her]."
Silverman continued, "This is also HARDLY an example of the wage gap and can only do that very true reality a terrible disservice if I were trying to make it one. When I was interviewed by Levo, they asked me 'Do you remember a time you were paid less for the same job' and this story, being just that, popped into my head. To Al, I truly am sorry to bring you into this as you employ women and pay them the same as the men I’m sure."
Even through her apology, Silverman still manages to shine a positive light on women's rights, especially equal pay. She said, "To the maniacs who want to use this as a chit against women’s issues, I ask that you please don’t. Because that would be super sh--ty. Feel free to aim your vitriol at me but leave this issue of working women out of it, K?"
If anyone can apologize and fight for women all at once, it's Silverman.
Images: Getty Images
