The Bill O’Reilly advertiser retreat has grown to eight, as Allstate has pulled their ads from Fox’s top-rated show.
Here is the full and growing list of advertisers who have pulled their ads:
Allstate makes eight companies pulling their ads. “Inclusivity and support for women are important Allstate values." https://t.co/9TSfhi6d49
— Emily Steel (@emilysteel) April 4, 2017
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Seven. Sanofi, whose Gold Bond + ACT mouthwash advertised during O'Reilly's show last night, also said it has removed its ads https://t.co/9TSfhi6d49
— Emily Steel (@emilysteel) April 4, 2017
GSK makes six. GlaxoSmithKline: "We have temporarily put a hold on spots running on The O'Reilly Factor while we assess this situation.â€
— Emily Steel (@emilysteel) April 4, 2017
And now there are five. Constant Contact spokesperson: "We have decided to pull Constant Contacts ads from The O’Reilly Factor.†https://t.co/qT7MIRebkH
— Emily Steel (@emilysteel) April 4, 2017
Four companies have pulled their ads from Fox News host Bill O'Reilly's show. They're @UNTUCKit @BMW @Hyundai @MercedesBenz w/@emilysteel
— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) April 4, 2017
The O’Reilly advertiser exodus is beginning to look a lot like the Rush Limbaugh advertiser boycott after his comments about Sandra Fluke, and the Glenn Beck advertiser boycott that eventually got the host canceled on Fox News. Much like Beck and Limbaugh were, O’Reilly is a major cash cow for his bosses, but if that cash dries up, Fox will have no choice but to push their latest disgrace into retirement.
None of this is the way that things were supposed to go for Fox News. Fox execs had been setting up Megyn Kelly to take O’Reilly’s time slot, but after the Ailes sexual harassment scandal broke, and Kelly told investigators that she too was sexually harassed, the future centerpiece of the network bolted to NBC News for a better deal.
Fox News is left spending its days defending an unpopular president while a repulsive serial abuser of women is causing their advertisers to flee. Fox is also facing a growing challenge from Rachel Maddow and MSNBC. Both of their competitors’ ratings are growing faster, and the network looks to be low on stars and running on fumes.
A successful O’Reilly boycott would be a great moment for social justice. The boycott could also be the death blow that kills the Fox dominance of cable news.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association