Conservatives Dismiss Jennifer Lawrence's Experience With The Gender Pay Gap

Written by Alexandrea Boguhn

Published

Conservative media rallied to dismiss the gender pay gap after actress Jennifer Lawrence published an essay discussing making less than her male peers while working on the film American Hustle.

Jennifer Lawrence Pens Essay Highlighting Prevalence Of Gender Pay Gap In The Film Industry 

Jennifer Lawrence: Sony Hack Revealed That “Every Man I Was Working With” Had A Higher Salary. In an essay for Lena Dunham's October 13 Lenny Letter e-newsletter, Lawrence discussed how she “had earned significantly less than her male co-stars Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper” for her starring  role in the film American Hustle. As NPR reported:

The criticism Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence has lobbed at herself for not pushing for a higher fee to star in the film American Hustle is reverberating in Hollywood and beyond.

In an essay for Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter e-newsletter, Lawrence explained that after the Sony hack -- which revealed documents showing Lawrence had earned significantly less than her male co-stars Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper -- she didn't get mad at the studio.

“I got mad at myself,” Lawrence wrote. “I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early.”

The star of the Hunger Games franchise said she hesitated to negotiate aggressively because she didn't want to come across as abrasive or too demanding -- a fear, she mused, that probably is linked to gender conditioning. Lawrence wrote: “I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled.' At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled.'” [NPR, 10/15/15]

Conservative Media Use Lawrence's Experience To Dismiss The Gender Pay Gap

Fox's Hegseth Suggested “Political Correctness” Behind Lawrence's Claim, Points Out She “Made $52 Million Last Year.” On the October 19 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Pete Hegseth attributed Lawrence's comments to “political correctness,” jumping to point out that the actress “made $52 million last year.” Contributor Meghan McCain added that while she was “all for women getting equal pay ... I also think women have to fight for what we want”:

PETE HEGSETH: Speaking of political correctness, actor Bradley Cooper is teaming up now with female actresses, saying they're not being paid the equivalent what he's being paid specifically, and actress Jennifer Lawrence who made $52 million last year. What's your take on pay inequality?

BRIAN KILMEADE: And he'll give some of his pay for her. 

MEGHAN MCCAIN: I'm all for women getting equal pay for men obviously, but I also think women we have to fight for what we want. You have to fight for what you think your value is and not all of us are going to have a Bradley Cooper here to bail us out and you know, come in and get paid as much as I'm going to get paid. So I think this is sort of like Hollywood fantasyland -- which is fantastic for Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. But for the average American woman who is just working a normal job you have to go in to your employers and fight for what you think your worth is, for better or for worse. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 10/19/15]

Fox's Earhardt Dismissed Role Of Pay Inequality In Lawrence's Earnings.  During the October 19 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends First, co-host Ainsley Earhardt claimed that “there might be a reason why” Lawrence made less than her male counterparts in films, highlighting a report claiming the actress “showed up late to filming and she worked fewer days than the other actors”:

HEATHER CHILDERS: Well, you know how Jennifer Lawrence, she has complained, we've heard her talking about earning less than her American Hustle co-stars?

[CLIP OF AMERICAN HUSTLE]

AINSLEY EARHARDT: Turns out there might be a reason why. Deadline is reporting she showed up late to filming and she worked fewer days than the other actors. Lawrence says she didn't want to fight about her salary because she didn't want to come off as difficult or spoiled. [Fox News, Fox & Friends First, 10/19/15]

Fox Guest: “I Really Don't Think The Wage Gap Is Something That Jennifer Lawrence Can Be Blaming Here.” Speaking about Lawrence's article on the October 15 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, guest Ashley Pratte questioned celebrities who speak out against the gender pay gap, asserting that she didn't “think the wage gap is something that Jennifer Lawrence can be blaming here,” later falsely attributing pay discrepancies between men and women to women's “choices”:

ASHLEY PRATTE: I would almost say oh the irony, another Hollywood actress coming out and saying something about her wage when you know they act like “champions” for the equal pay movement. Which is what we saw at the Oscars, when Patricia Arquette got up there and then you saw Meryl Streep clapping uncontrollably. And this is just something that doesn't resonate with middle America and the women that are out there in the workforce. Studies actually show that young women, yes while negotiating is difficult for women, for the most part, women are educated and when you look at young women coming out of college who are actually outperforming our male counterparts in a lot of large cities all across this country. So I really don't think the wage gap is something that Jennifer Lawrence can be blaming here and calling it discrimination. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 10/15/15]

New York Post Dismissed Lawrence: She Used “Fuzzy Math When She Griped That She Was The Victim Of Sexism” And Pay Inequality. In an October 19 article, The New York Post's Page Six gossip section glossed over the role of the the gender pay gap in Lawrence's career, instead attributing the discrepancy to “fuzzy math”:

Jennifer Lawrence, the world's highest-paid actress, used fuzzy math when she griped that she was the victim of sexism and didn't earn as much as her male co-stars in “American Hustle,” it was reported Sunday.

The 25-year-old Oscar winner came to the project late in the game and worked half as many days as co-stars Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper, according to the Web site Deadline.

Lawrence also failed to note the handsome windfall that followed the hit film, which snagged 10 Oscar nominations and increased her cachet with its success, the site said. She scored big time afterward, including netting $20 million for the sci-fi adventure “Passengers” out next year -- or an estimated $5 million to $7 million more than her male co-star, Chris Pratt. [The New York Post, 10/19/15]

RedState: Jennifer Lawrence's Discussion Of Pay Inequality Is “A Bratty Display” And An Example Of Of How “Claims Of Pay Inequality Are Oftentimes Not The Complete Story.” RedState dismissed the pay inequality in light of Lawrence's essay, claiming that it was a “bratty display from a wealthy youngster” and claiming that “it is illegal to pay a woman less than a man solely based on gender” and that other “factors” are actually at play instead: 

I remember my reaction included an eye-roll and probably a yawn. The Patricia Arquettes, Jennifer Lawrences, and Gwyneth Paltrows of the world (who once said “I am who I am. I can't pretend to be somebody who makes $25,000 a year”), are not mouthpieces for regular women. What's more, they muddy the discussion by appealing only to emotion, not facts. It is illegal to pay a woman less than a man solely based on gender. (See The Equal Pay Act of 1963.) Factors such as education, experience, ability, skill, and availability will all impact someone's salary. In the case of comparing men vs. women in the real world, much of the pay inequality outcry looks at the life of a career, sees a woman makes less, and outrage ensues. Over the life of a career, though, a woman's time on the job may be much less, as family and maternity responsibilities call her away.

[...]

I scanned the Lenny's Letter post Jennifer did recently, and I'm just not seeing any mention of this pay disparity over her male costar for this movie. Hmm. It's almost as if she speaks out on “inequality” when it best suits her and her agenda. As for the pay inequality she raged on about recently, it concerns the movie American Hustle. I saw this movie, and Jennifer is most definitely in fewer scenes than the male actors. So, maybe she was paid just for the work she did? Not sure about you, Middle American, but that sounds fair to me.

Not only is Jennifer Lawrence's complaint a bratty display from a wealthy youngster, but it highlights that claims of pay inequality are oftentimes not the complete story, and Hollywood is the least appropriate voice on the subject. [RedState.com, 10/17/15]

Breitbart News' John Nolte: Lawrence Should “Go To The Library, Crack Open A Book, And Read About How Much Better Women Were Treated” When “Conservative Republicans Ran Everything.”  Breitbart news' John Nolte commented on Lawrence's essay by claiming the actress was “blam[ing] America for her personal inadequacies” and that she should “go to the library, crack open a book, and read about how much better women were treated in your industry” when “conservative republicans ran everything”:

What happened to the strong, talented, independent, decent Jennifer Lawrence? What kind of values are these that she now judges her own self-worth with a pay check as opposed to issues of conscience regarding and caring for her personal and professional relationships?

And naturally, Lena Dunham's LawrencePuppet blames America for her personal inadequacies. At no time will LawrencePuppet be allowed to acknowledge The Truth -- that the industry in which she works is run exclusively by LEFTISTS,  and has been for 50 years.

LawrencePuppet will not be allowed to show the moral courage required to say out loud what we all know is the truth: That if she is being screwed, she is being screwed by supporters of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Hey J-Law, if you can get over yourself and away from PredatorDunham, go to the library, crack open a book, and read about how much better women were treated in your industry during the studio era when “patriarchal” conservative Republicans ran everything with an iron fist. You know, the pre-feminist era. [Breitbart News, 10/13/15]

Breitbart News' Ben Shapiro Lamented That Lawrence Is Being Hailed As “A Hero” When She Is “Whining About A Bad Contract.” In an October 14 tweet, Breitbart News editor-at-large Ben Shapiro complained that Lawrence is being lauded as “a hero for whining about a bad contract”:

[Twitter.com, 10/14/15]

Dana Loesch: Jennifer Lawrence Dealt With A “Self Esteem Issue,” Not “Sexism.” In an October 14 tweet linking to Lawrence's article, The Blaze's Dana Loesch claimed the actress had a “self esteem issue” and wasn't dealing with “sexism”:

[Twitter.com, 10/14/15]