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  1. Economy and Politics
  2. Immigration

All the Advertisers That Dropped Tucker Carlson After His Controversial Immigrant Comment

By:
Brad Tuttle
6 min read
Tucker Carlson speaks onstage during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 21, 2018. - Rich Polk—Getty Images for Politicon
Tucker Carlson speaks onstage during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 21, 2018. Rich Polk—Getty Images for Politicon

More than a dozen advertisers are boycotting Tucker Carlson's Fox News show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight," after the cable TV pundit made comments that immigrants are making America "poorer and dirtier and more divided."

At least 16 advertisers, including IHOP, NerdWallet, TDAmeritrade, Ancestry.com, Jaguar Land Rover North America, Pacific Life, and CareerBuilder, have stopped airing commercials during Tucker Carlson's show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This isn't the first time that a Fox News show has been subjected to a widespread advertiser boycott: Earlier this year, roughly a dozen brands pulled ads from "The Ingraham Angle" after host Laura Ingraham came under fire for mocking teenage activist and Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg for not getting into his top choice of college.

The Tucker Carlson boycott stems from comments the cable news host made about immigrants and mass immigration on his show airing last Thursday. "It’s obvious we need more scientists and skilled engineers," Carlson said in his monologue, which continued:

What we’re getting instead are waves of poor people with a high school education or less. They’re nice people; nobody doubts that. But as an economic matter, this is insane. It’s indefensible, so nobody tries to defend it.

Instead, our leaders demand you shut up and accept it. We’ve got a moral obligation to admit the world’s poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer, dirtier and more divided.

Progressive organizations, Fox News watchdogs such as Media Matters, and celebrities ranging from Martina Navratilova to Judd Apatow immediately criticized Carlson's comments and called for advertiser boycotts.

An advertising boycott of Tucker Carlson began last Friday, with insurance company Pacific Life saying it would stop advertising on his show.

The Tucker Carlson boycott has expanded this week, after he refused to apologize and said he would not be intimidated. Despite the boycott, Fox News issued a statement in support of Carlson, who is one of the network's biggest, most-watched stars, saying, “We cannot and will not allow voices like Tucker Carlson to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts.”

Several major brands, including Mitsubishi, Farmers Insurance, and John Deere, have thus far stood by Tucker Carlson and are still advertising on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," despite pressure from social media campaigns and progressive news outlets.

Here are all the advertisers who have stopped airing commercials on Tucker Carlson's show in the wake of his "poorer and dirtier" comments on immigration:

CareerBuilder

"We permanently suspended advertising on some Fox programming, including Tucker Carlson Tonight. We will continue to advertise on programs that align with who we are and what we value,” CareerBuilder said in a statement provide to TheWrap.com.

Indeed

The career site Indeed responded to a Tweet about Tucker Carlson and said that it has no plans to advertise on his show.

"As a company, we are nonpartisan — our site is for everyone, regardless of background or beliefs. Indeed has not advertised on the 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' program in over a month, and has no plans to do so in the future," an Indeed.com spokesperson said in emailed statement this week.

IHOP

“At our core, we stand for welcoming folks from all backgrounds and beliefs into our restaurants and continually evaluate ad placements to ensure they align with our values. In this case, we will no longer be advertising on this show,” IHOP said in a statement on Tuesday.

Minted

"We do not agree with Mr. Carlson's comments and his opinions are not consistent with the values we hold at Minted," the online photo and design marketplace stated on Twitter.

NerdWallet

The personal finance site NerdWallet said it has "pulled its advertising and will be re-evaluating any ongoing advertising on this program," according to CNBC.

Pacific Life

Last Friday, Pacific Life said in a message on Twitter that it "strongly disagrees with Mr. Carlson's statements" about immigration. "Our customer base and our workforce reflect the diversity of our great nation, something we take pride in. We will not be advertising on Mr. Carlson's show in the coming weeks as we reevaluate our relationship with his program."

SmileDirectClub

The invisible braces firm SmileDirectClub said in a statement on Monday, “We are actively working with our media buyers to confirm that SmileDirectClub is no longer running our ads around any political opinion shows,” according to TheWrap.com.

Voya

Voya Financial said on Twitter that it is "committed to diversity, inclusion and equality – and respect for all individuals," and has no scheduled ads on Tucker Carlson's show.

Zenni Optical

A company spokesperson told Huffington Post on Tuesday that Zenni Optical "pulled our ads from the Tucker Carlson Tonight program effective yesterday."

Bowflex, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, TD Ameritrade, United Explorer credit card, Just For Men, Jaguar Land Rover, Ancestry.com, SCOTTeVEST

All of these companies and brands say they have stopped advertising on Tucker Carlson's show, according to Hollywood Reporter.

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