Last month, Fox News host Laura Ingraham jeered at Parkland shooting survivor and gun reform activist David Hogg for being rejected from four colleges.
She underestimated the consequences of publicly insulting a 17-year-old. In response to her bullying, the student called on sponsors to boycott her show, resulting in 20 companies withdrawing sponsorship for The Laura Ingraham Angle, so far.
On Tuesday, ingredient and recipe meal kit service Blue Apron and weight loss diet plan Slim Fast followed suit and joined the other fleeing advertisers as Ingraham's program resumed broadcast on Monday after a week-long Easter break.
The meal delivery service said they were not aware their ad ran on Monday's airing of the show. They tweeted their announcement to pull their advertisement.
We will no longer be advertising on the show, and will be working with our media buying partners to more closely monitor where our ads appear going forward.
@Trumpnado2016 @Airbnb We were unaware that our ad would be running on The Laura Ingraham Angle last night. We will… https://t.co/xbkJ5cHi4z— Blue Apron (@Blue Apron) 1523378198.0
Twitter appreciated their effort in making a stand against Ingraham.
@blueapron @Trumpnado2016 @Airbnb Thanks for finally stepping up. Yes, it is time to talk with your media buyers...… https://t.co/M8Qz2sG3eN— John Smith (@John Smith) 1523460123.0
@EdKrassen @blueapron I may order just to say thanks.— Evell (@Evell) 1523451750.0
@EdKrassen @blueapron Thank you @blueapron for not advertising with a hateful television program like Laura Ingraham's. #KindnessMatters— banegirl (@banegirl) 1523441867.0
@EdKrassen @i_resist_you @blueapron Thank you!! Let’s hope the rest of her sponsors, advertisers also see the light… https://t.co/nw2p4jJmU8— Susan Honig (@Susan Honig) 1523474014.0
Slim Fast became the 21st sponsor to pull their ads from the show on Tuesday.
@SlimFast Thank you #SlimFast!— Peddling Reality (@Peddling Reality) 1523387124.0
Customers have the company's back.
@SlimFast Thank you #SlimFast!— Peddling Reality (@Peddling Reality) 1523387124.0
@SlimFast Very good decison— Claire Simpson (@Claire Simpson) 1523487530.0
"We have stopped advertising on the Laura Ingraham show and have no plans to resume in the near future," Slim Fast tweeted on Tuesday. "We are also monitoring all ad placements carefully."
We have stopped advertising on the Laura Ingraham show and have no plans to resume in the near future. We are also… https://t.co/frHe48D466— SlimFast (@SlimFast) 1523366564.0
Ad time during The Ingraham Angle was cut by half and the host didn't directly address the sudden dearth of sponsors. Instead, she quipped to Sean Hannity at the top of the program:
Did anything happen while I was gone? … I'm glad I don't have a Google alert on my own name, that's all I can say.
Ingraham targeted the teenage advocate for gun control late last month when she tweeted, "David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA...totally predictable given acceptance rates.)"
Hogg sparked the ad boycott campaign by tweeting a list Ingraham's show sponsors and encouraging followers to contact companies including AT&T, Bayer, Liberty Mutual, Nestle, and Hulu.
Pick a number 1-12 contact the company next to that # Top Laura Ingraham Advertisers 1. @sleepnumber 2. @ATT 3.… https://t.co/Jg1zblwxWc— David Hogg (@David Hogg) 1522287046.0
Multiple advertisers began pulling their ads from the show after Hogg's tweet went out. In the spirit of the Easter holiday, Ingraham issued a formal but half-baked apology for deriding the teenager. Hogg refused to accept it and claimed it was forced as a result of his effective online campaign.
On Monday's program, Ingraham's opening remarks included vowing to fight the left's campaign to "silence conservatives' voices."
Let's face it: expressing views that just five or 10 years ago were considered mainstream can now get you fired. It can cause you to lose a promotion. Or you can be branded a 'hater,' or, yes, you can get boycotted.
H/T - TheWrap, TheHill, Twitter, HuffingtonPost