At least four companies say they’re pulling advertisements from Jeanine Pirro’s Fox News show, Justice with Judge Jeanine, after she questioned whether Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) religious beliefs were “antithetical to the United States Constitution.”
Fox News has since condemned Pirro’s remarks, saying they had “addressed the matter with her directly.”
NerdWallet told The Hollywood Reporter on Monday that it would stop airing spots on Pirro’s show moving forward. “We’re no longer advertising on this show and don’t have plans to in the future,” the personal finance company said.
Allergan similarly told ThinkProgress on Monday that it would “not be advertising on [Justice with Judge Jeanine] moving forward.” The company’s ad for Botox Cosmetic aired during Saturday’s program.
A spokesperson for the mobile company GreatCall, which aired a spot for its Jitterbug Flip phone during Pirro’s late night re-broadcast, told ThinkProgress it too had pulled advertising from the show.
And a spokesperson for letgo, whose app allows people to buy and sell used items, told ThinkProgress in an email that it would also cease advertising on the program. “We absolutely condemn Ms. Pirro’s comments, which are offensive and completely contrary to our values,” a spokesperson said. “We are in the process of ensuring our ads will no longer run during her show.”
A fifth company, Novo Nordisk, told ThinkProgress it was “reevaluating [its] advertising” on Pirro’s show.
Pirro is one of several Fox News personalities who’ve faced advertising backlash over racist, sexist, or otherwise offensive remarks. Others include Sean Hannity, former O’Reilly Factor host Bill O’Reilly, and Tucker Carlson, who came under fire again this week for previous comments he made in radio interviews defending statutory rape, comparing Iraqis to monkeys, questioning whether racial minorities were human, and using several lewd and sexually graphic remarks about a Miss Teen USA contestant.
Host Laura Ingraham faced a mass advertising exodus last year after she attacked teen survivors of the Parkland shooting on Twitter. She apologized for those remarks later, but only after several sponsors said they would boycott her show.
ThinkProgress reached out to 60 companies this week to ask about their advertisements on Pirro’s and Carlson’s programs. A few, such as MyPillow and WeatherTech stood firm in their decisions to advertise on the program, while most did not respond.
Omar thanked Fox News on Monday for condemning Pirro’s comments, tweeting, “No one’s commitment to our constitution should be questioned because of their faith or country of birth.”
This story will be updated as additional companies respond.
