EXCLUSIVE: Bayer stops advertising on Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham

Jun 6, 2019

This is a special report from Popular Information, a newsletter about politics by Judd Legum. Subscribe at popular.info to get groundbreaking reporting and original research straight to you inbox. To see more of what to expect, check out the archives.

Bayer, one of the last major brands advertising with Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, will no longer run ads on either Fox News show, a source familiar with Bayer's decision-making told Popular Information.

Over the last year, dozens of major brands have abandoned Carlson and Ingraham. It's not hard to understand why.

Carlson has repeatedly said that immigrants are making America "dirtier," refused to apologize for a series of deeply sexist and homophobic remarks he on a radio show, and trafficked in white nationalist conspiracy theories. Ingraham personally attacked Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg, compared detention facilities for migrant children to "summer camp," and recently defended white supremacist Paul Nehlen.

But Bayer seemed reluctant to give up on either Fox News host. In March 2018, Bayer publicly announced it would no longer advertise on Ingraham's show:

Bayer AG @Bayer

@joncoopertweets @BethAshworth5 @LibertyMutual @IngrahamAngle @sleepnumber @ATT @Allstate @esurance @RocketMortgage @Arbys Yes, @joncoopertweets, that’s right. @BayerUS has stopped advertising on Laura Ingraham and we have no plans to resume any time in the future.

But the company quietly resumed advertising on Ingraham's show in August 2018 and has been regular advertisers ever since.

Bayer had not been advertising on Carlson's show but ran four advertisement on Monday's broadcast. The company's reemergence on Carlson's show went viral on Twitter.

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

Following a series of xenophobic, bigoted, and misogynist comments by Tucker Carlson, @Bayer has not advertised on his show for months The company has advertised three times on Tucker's show tonight @Bayer is hoping people have stopped paying attention

The public scrutiny, according to the source, has prompted a reconsideration of the company’s relationship with both shows. Bayer last ran an ad on Carlson's show on June 4 and last ran an ad on Ingraham's show on May 30.

Bayer, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Popular Information, will not be returning to either program.