Fox News host Tucker Carlson has made his career by spewing white supremacist rants masked as legitimate commentary. Recently he went too far, even for his regular advertisers – and he’s starting to pay a price.
Two weeks ago, Carlson told his viewers that immigration “makes our country poorer, and dirtier, and more divided.”1 More than a dozen sponsors have left his show in response to widespread outrage.
Describing immigrants as “dirty” is the kind of racist rhetoric that fuels hatred and violence. But some brands are still funding his extremist propaganda, including household names like Bayer, Mitsubishi and Farmers Insurance.2 These companies must stop supporting Carlson’s hatred – now.
Tell Tucker Carlson’s advertisers: Stop funding hate.3
Carlson’s latest comments are part of his well-documented pattern of racist on-air commentary. He criticized the idea that diversity is an American value 4 and called the NAACP a “joke” that “should be shut down.” He promotes right-wing conspiracy theories about threats of “white genocide” and minimizes the impact of slavery. Carlson regularly claims Mexico interferes in U.S. elections by “packing our electorate.”
Fearmongering leads to violence. The shooter who killed 19 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue said he was motivated to kill because of the congregation’s support for immigration.5 That twisted logic depends on believing the kinds of conspiracy theories that Tucker Carlson and Fox News promote.
The good news is that pressure on Tucker Carlson’s advertisers is working. Before his latest comments, Carlson’s program averaged 36 commercials, and afterwards the show included only 20.6 Advertisers refusing to sponsor hateful rhetoric has had a powerful effect on other Fox News shows as well. Dozens of companies recently removed their ads from Sean Hannity’s show, and after Laura Ingraham’s despicable ridiculing of Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg, her advertiser base shrunk by more than half.
By keeping the spotlight on advertisers, we can push more companies to do the right thing and cut ties with Tucker Carlson. As advertisers leave in droves, we can defund Carlson and turn off his firehose of hate and lies.
Tell Tucker Carlson’s advertisers: Stop funding hate.
References:
- Oliver Darcy, “Tucker Carlson’s show has been hit by an advertiser boycott, and it’s having a visible effect,” CNN, Dec. 20, 2018.
- Owen Daugherty and Justin Wise, “Companies pull ads from Carlson’s show after ‘poorer and dirtier’ immigration comment,” The Hill, Dec. 14, 2018.
- Madeline Peltz, “Tucker Carlson’s descent into white supremacy: A timeline,” Media Matters for America, Oct. 29, 2018.
- Adam Serwer, “Trump’s Caravan Hysteria Led to This,” The Atlantic, Oct. 28, 2018.
- Darcy, “Tucker Carlson’s show has been hit by an advertiser boycott, and it’s having a visible effect.”
- Angelo Carusone, “Fox News’ ad chief admits that advertisers are leaving. Here’s what’s going on.” Media Matters for America, Oct. 17, 2018.