Tucker Carlson’s attacks on George Floyd and the protests over his murder have brought a new round of advertiser defections, including Disney and a very public FU from T-Mobile CEO Mike Siewert.
Whereas in 2018, when 20 companies yanked their ads after Carlson obtusely proclaimed that the undocumented made America “poorer, and dirtier, and more divided,” this time the exits are over the host’s stance on the death of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that followed against police violence and racism.
Both Disney and T-Mobile have cut ties with the primetime Tucker Carlson Tonight over the host’s polarizing point of view on the Black Lives Matter movement and the desire for justice and equality in America many of its members advocate. Along with Papa Johns and SmileDirectClub, the media giant and the telecommunications brand faced a backlash in recent days for their association with Carlson and his belief that the well attended protests were “Black Lives Matter riots”
However, sources tell Deadline that the ads for ABC shows on Tucker Carlson were placed in error by third parties. The ads will not be running any more with no more placements by the Bob Chapek-led House of Mouse expected on Carlson anytime soon. (UPDATE, 10:45 PM: “The ABC advertisements were placed on the show without our knowledge by third party media buyers who were unaware that we do not advertise on the show, and they have now been notified not to place any further ads,” an ABC spokesperson told Deadline tonight)
As for T-Mobile, they have not only reportedly “cancelled all future placements,” the company’s CEO announced his feelings for Carlson’s white nationalism on Twitter:
It definitely is not. Bye-bye Tucker Carlson! #BlackLivesMatter
— Mike Sievert (@MikeSievert) June 10, 2020
Just this week, Carlson’s racial hate mongering included distorting the pro-police reform comments of Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender as a belief that “calling the police during a break-in definitely qualifies as racism.” He mocked, “Hello, police. Armed men are breaking into my home. Help. Shut up, racist. Click. That's the world Lisa Bender is calling for.”
Also this week, Carlson distorted comments from anti-racism activist Tim Wise in order to racially demagogue that Wise believes “parents must hurt their own children” because “Happy childhoods are a sign of racism.”
Previously, we’ve caught Carlson suggesting that the George Floyd protests were worse than his murder.
(Carlson image via screen grab)
I don’t know if you read it here but I posted about Fox’s reliance on high subscriber fees last week.
http://www.newshounds.us/fox_news_reportedly_building_secret_operation_to_discredit_progressive_critics_060120