Fox News host Jeanine Pirro has lost at least four advertisers since her Islamophobic on-air comments last week in which she suggested Rep. Ilhan Omar might not be able to faithfully serve America because she wears a hijab, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Companies including Allergan, Letgo, NerdWallet, and Novo Nordisk have now pulled the plug on Pirro’s show, the site wrote.
In a March 9 segment discussing the ongoing scandal over Omar’s comments about Israel, Pirro unleashed some serious bigotry.
“Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59 tells women to cover so they won’t get molested,” Pirro said on the broadcast. “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”
Really makes you think!
Fox News, in a rare move, “strongly” condemned Pirro’s comments, saying “they do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.” The network didn’t say if it would take any further action to punish Pirro, and, from all available evidence, it hasn’t.
Advertisers, though, are starting to jump ship.
“We absolutely condemn Ms. Pirro’s comments, which are offensive and completely contrary to our values,” Letgo, a Craigslist-like online marketplace, told THR. “We are in the process of ensuring our ads will no longer run during her show.”
“At Novo Nordisk, we advertise across many cable networks to raise awareness of our medicines and the disease they treat,” the pharmaceutical company told THR. “We respect each person’s right to express their thinking and beliefs, however, we are reevaluating our advertising on this program at this time.”
“We’re no longer advertising on this show and don’t have plans to in the future,” said a spokesperson for NerdWallet.
NerdWallet is one of the many companies which pulled ads from Tucker Carlson’s show after his comments in December that immigration would make America “dirtier.”
But unlike Pirro, Carlson hasn’t faced any condemnation from Fox. The network has continued to stand by him, despite recordings that emerged last week which found him defending child abuser Warren Jeffs and calling Iraqi’s “semiliterate primitive monkeys.”
He lost another advertiser, the bedding company SHEEX, on Tuesday.
“Our advertising placement should never be construed as an endorsement of the views of any individual, program content, or network,” the company said in a statement. “However, due to the inappropriate statements of Tucker Carlson that have recently come to light, SHEEX has made the decision to cease advertising on his television program, Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
In response to the outrage at her comments, Pirro invited Omar to appear on her show. A spokesperson for Omar declined THR’s request for comment.