Fox News is standing by its host Laura Ingraham, who has reportedly lost half of her ad time after mocking Parkland, Fla., school shooting survivor (now anti-gun activist) David Hogg about getting rejected by some California colleges in a tweet last week.
“We cannot and will not allow voices to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts,” Jack Abernethy, co-president of Fox News, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday. “We look forward to having Laura Ingraham back hosting her program next Monday when she returns from spring vacation with her children,” he added.
The embattled host made a point of tweeting out the network’s show of support.
Fox News states support for Laura Ingraham despite advertiser fallout https://t.co/oskeg0TcIM
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) April 2, 2018
After the initial backlash, Ingraham apologized to Hogg on Twitter, but he didn’t accept her apology. The 17-year-old continued calling for the boycott and more than a dozen advertisers have since bailed from her show, including Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual, Office Depot, Expedia, Nestle, Hulu, and even the studio that made the controversial movie “Chappaquiddick.”
It's now at 16 advertisers dropping Laura Ingraham OR saying they have no plans to run ads with her show again (Ruby Tuesdays, Honda, Liberty Mutual).
Put another way: pic.twitter.com/sgGlnSIEvV
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) March 30, 2018
Many on the left were triumphant last Friday when Ingraham announced that she was taking a vacation and would not be hosting the show this week. But the vacation was pre-planned and had nothing to do with the controversy.
According to the L.A. Times, however, her show, The Ingraham Angle, had only two spots — both from IBM — on Friday. A network source tole the Times that “the boycott has not yet resulted in a significant financial hit.”
This person said no advertisers have pulled their dollars from the network but have simply moved from “The Ingraham Angle” to other programs on the Fox News schedule. Most of the advertisers are out because they want to avoid the controversy associated with the story and could revisit the situation in a few weeks after Ingraham returns.
In the end, Ingraham will lose a few advertisers, but will probably see a ratings boost as a result of the whole imbroglio.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member