Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Dropped By Disney, Papa John's, T-Mobile Due To Comments On Black Lives Matter

Several big name advertisers, including Disney and T-Mobile, became the latest to drop advertising support for controversial Fox News host Tucker Carlson because of Carlson’s statements on the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd.

During Monday’s edition of his primetime show “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Carlson he tried to cast doubt on the reasons behind the protests demanding police reform and justice for victims like Floyd and Breonna Taylor. It was the latest attack by Carlson since the protests began, echoing other Fox News pundits in questioning the legitimacy of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Floyd was killed on May 25 while being arrested for using a counterfeit $20 at a Minneapolis grocery store. Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground with his knee over Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.

Taylor was killed on March 23 when police in Louisville, Kentucky, conducted a no-knock raid on her apartment as part of an investigation into two local drug dealers police suspected was partly operated out of the apartment. Taylor was shot multiple times and killed while her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot one of the officers in what his lawyer's said was self-defense, saying that police did not identify themselves.

“This may be a lot of things, this moment we are living through,” Carlson said. “But it is definitely not about black lives, and remember that when they come for you. And at this rate, they will.”

“No matter what they tell you, it has very little to do with black lives. If only it did.”

A Fox New’s spokesperson tried to defend Carlson by saying the comments were about “Democratic leaders and inner city politicians.”

The comments were met with immediate backlash as several advertisers decided they no longer wanted to be associated with his show. One of the first came on Tuesday when T-Mobile executive Mike Sievert said the company had pulled “all future placements” on Carlson’s show and shared a brief exchange with a user on Twitter about it.

Since then, Carlson has been dropped by office furniture maker Vari, the Walt Disney Co., Papa John’s, and several smaller companies. Another Fox News spokesperson downplayed the departures, saying, “National dollars/ads were moved to other programs, and there has not been any national money lost.”

This is not the first time Carlson has been the target of a backlash. Advertisers also have dropped him because of racist or sexist comments. Arguably the biggest advertiser exodus before the past week came in May of 2019 when nearly 40 advertisers dropped Carlson after recordings were released online of his multiple appearances on the “Bubba the Love Sponge Show” between 2006 and 2011.