Pirro Comments Make Some Fox News Advertisers Wary
By Brian Steinberg
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – A handful of advertisers indicated they would move their commercials out of the Saturday-night broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” the latest example of some marketers expressing wariness with commentary made by some of the cable-news network’s opinion hosts.
During her broadcast on Saturday, Pirro, a former New York prosecutor, suggested Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar, a Democractic representative, did not respect the law set down by the Constitution of the United States. “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which is antithetical to the U.S. Constitution?” Pirro asked Satuday night.
On Sunday, issued a statement rebuking Pirro’s words. “”We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro ’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar,” the network said in a prepared statement. “They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”
Personal-finance marketer NerdWallet, pharmaceutical advertiser Novo Nordis and online marketplace Letgo have indicated in press statements they will at stop running ads in Pirro’s program.
Pirro sought to tamp down reaction to her comments with a statement on Sunday. “I’ve seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday night’s show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American,” she said. “My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution. I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing America today.”
A Fox News spokesperson could not be reached for immediate comment.
Fox News Channel took in $1.02 billion in net advertising revenue in 2018, according to estimates from Kagan, a market-research firm that is part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, and that figure is seen climbing to nearly $1.07 billion in 2019. Despite the recent ad boycotts, 21st Century Fox said its advertising revenue rose 6% in its most recent fiscal quarter, largely due to better pricing at Fox News Channel.
