Advertisers Are Ditching Tucker Carlson On Fox News After He Said Immigrants Make The US "Poorer And Dirtier"
At least five companies have pulled their ads from the Tucker Carlson Tonight show after Fox News host Tucker Carlson asserted that immigrants make the US "poorer and dirtier and more divided."
Carlson is the latest Fox News host to face backlash from advertisers after making controversial comments on the air, prompting critics to launch a social media campaign to pressure advertisers to pull their ads.
As of Monday, Pacific Life, Indeed, SmileDirectClub, Minted, and Nautilus, the parent company of the Bowflex, announced they would be suspending their ads during Carlson's show.
Last week wasn't the first time Carlson has been critical of the migrant caravan at the southern border, and he has regularly run segments questioning the benefits of diversity in the US. Yet Thursday's segment, which was immediately followed by insurance company Pacific Life being cited as a sponsor, seemed to strike a chord with critics.
“We have a moral obligation to admit the world’s poor, [political leaders] tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer and dirtier and more divided," Carlson said.
It seems it wasn't just a commercial that prompted people to reach out to Pacific Life. After Tucker Carlson talked about how immigrants "makes our country poorer, and dirtier, and more divided" this "Tucker Carlson was brought to you by Pacific Life" ad popped in
By Friday morning, Pacific Life announced that it disagreed with his comments and would "reevaluate [its] relationship with his program."
"As a company, we strongly disagree with Mr. Carlson's statements," a spokesperson for Pacific Life told BuzzFeed News. "Our customer base and our workforce reflect the diversity of our great nation, something we take great pride in."
On Monday, Indeed and SmileDirectClub confirmed to BuzzFeed News that they would no longer be advertising with the show.
A spokesperson for the job site Indeed told BuzzFeed News the company had not purchased advertising on the show for more than a month, and that it did not plan to do so in the future.
"As a company we are nonpartisan — our site is for everyone, regardless of background or beliefs," Tara Lambropoulos told BuzzFeed News.
A spokesperson for SmileDirectClub said the company was working with its media buyers to make sure it is "no longer running [its] ads around any political opinion shows."
Minted, an online retailer of local crafts makers, said on Twitter Monday night that it was "permanently" cutting advertising on the show.
Fox News, meanwhile, called the campaign against Carlson an effort from "left-wing advocacy groups."
“It is a shame that left-wing advocacy groups, under the guise of being supposed ‘media watchdogs,’ weaponize social media against companies in an effort to stifle free speech," a spokesperson for the network told BuzzFeed News. "We continue to stand by and work with our advertisers through these unfortunate and unnecessary distractions."
Addressing the controversy on his show Monday night, Carlson accused "the enforcers" of trying to intimidate him.
"It won't work for the show. We are not intimidated," he said in defending his comments. "We plan to say what's true until the last day. The truth is, unregulated mass immigration has badly hurt this country's natural landscape."
Carlson is not the only Fox News commentator to see some of his advertisers distance themselves after making controversial comments.
More than two dozen advertisers removed their ads from Laura Ingraham's show in March after the host mocked a mass shooting survivor from Parkland, Florida. Several companies also pulled their ads from Sean Hannity's show late last year over his coverage of sexual misconduct allegations against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
Matt Rivitz, the founder of Sleeping Giants, a Twitter account that has targeted conservative and right-wing media in the past, told BuzzFeed News he had sent a letter to Carlson's advertisers in September highlighting his comments on diversity, asking them if they wanted to be associated with his views.
An open letter to the corporations sponsoring Tucker Carlson Tonight.
The letter followed a September segment in which Carlson asked, "How precisely is diversity our strength?" But Rivitz noted that none of the advertisers who were forwarded the letter responded at the time.
Thursday's segment, however, took off on social media.
The Murdoch family is a family of immigrants. Everyone’s family is a family of immigrants. @TuckerCarlson is a an idiot who doesn’t understand who we all are. How can anyone advertise on a show which spouts hate? What would it take for people to care? https://t.co/cgpjdElZh2
Among those who reached out to Carlson's advertisers on social media was Judd Apatow, a writer, producer, and director who has retweeted others asking companies to stop advertising on the show.
"This time, in no uncertain terms, he said that immigrants make our country more poor and dirty, and that is extremely xenophobic and incredibly racist to us," Rivitz said. "This is something that happens every week."
Advertisers Are Ditching Tucker Carlson On Fox News After He Said Immigrants Make The US "Poorer And Dirtier"
![Advertisers Are Ditching Tucker Carlson On Fox News After He Said Immigrants Make The US "Poorer And Dirtier"]()
Reviewed by Your Destination
on
December 18, 2018
Rating:
No comments