Former actress and Fox News contributor, Stacey Dash is drawing fire after the Daily Mail uncovered her 2004 bankruptcy documents that show she was financially supported by her former fiance to the tune of $6,000 a month, Perez Hilton reports.
Dash was apparently so broke and drowning in debt because she says she couldn't find work and ultimately filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.
Eleven years after that, Dash told Meredith Vieira in an interview that she thinks women need to work harder and stop complaining about the gender wage gap. Dash continued, claiming that women should stop trying to make excuses about the discrepancy in pay between men and women and, instead, take control of their own financial opportunities.
"It’s an excuse. Stop making excuses. If there are opportunities, seize them. And be prepared for them. And be the best, if that’s what it takes. If you have to be extraordinary, be extraordinary," said Dash.
When Vieira told Dash that women make just 70 cents for every dollar a man made, Dash didn't question the data but questioned women instead.
"I don’t know if that’s true," she began. "I know that the numbers are true, but I feel like your daughter will be able to make as much money as she wants in her life. Just like you are. I mean, look at you."
Vieira then responded with her own personal story about being paid less than her male counterparts.
"I guess I won’t put my fate into anything other than my own action and taking my destiny in my hands," Dash responded. "I will not play victim to anything."
Taking that advice back in 2004 would have put Dash in a difficult predicament while she tried unsuccessfully to score acting gigs. Instead of working part time as a server as many performers in New York and Los Angeles have done, Dash did exactly what she's accusing others of doing: Playing the victim.
Dash lashed out at Hollywood in an interview with the conservative CNS News, claiming she was persecuted and blacklisted by the entertainment industry because she is vocal about her conservative values.
“My acting opportunities have ceased because of my political beliefs,” she said. “I’m being persecuted in Hollywood. I’ve been blacklisted. My agents have dropped me.”
For two years Dash couldn't find work while her British former fiance James Maby bankrolled her lifestyle. When she ultimately filed for bankruptcy` she claimed $28,582 in assets, but $157,703.53 in liabilities owed to creditors.
