Keurig pulls ads from Hannity’s show, and Fox News host’s fans fight back
Fans of Fox News host Sean Hannity are fighting back against coffee-maker company Keurig, which announced Sunday that it has pulled its ads from his program.
Vermont-based Keurig is one of several advertisers that have moved their commercials out of Hannity’s program after he defended Roy Moore, the Republican can- didate for U.S. Senate from Alabama, against allegations that Moore pursued romantic relationships with underage girls 40 years ago.
Hannity said that Moore should be given the benefit of the doubt and questioned the veracity of the accounts of the women, which first appeared in the Washington Post last week.
In response to Keurig’s move, Hannity shared Twitter posts from his fans that made derisive comments about the Keurig coffee maker. His supporters have also posted images showing the destruction of Keurig machines, which retail for $99.99 and up.
Boycotts have been called against Hannity before over positions he has taken on his show. None has resulted in a significant economic impact.
Hannity’s fans have pressured advertisers to reverse their decisions to pull out in the past. USAA, which provides insurance to members of the military, reversed its decision to pull its ads from Hannity’s show in May after a backlash on social media.
Liberal media watchdog group Media Matters for America has been putting public pressure on Hannity’s advertisers for months.
Several other brands, including DNA testing company 23 and Me , women’s clothing label ELOQUII , food delivery service Hello Fresh and natural supplement maker Nature’s Bounty also said they don’t advertise on “Hannity.”
Nature’s Bounty said it hasn’t advertised on the show since the summer but declined to give a reason. Hello Fresh said it last advertised on “Hannity” in August and added that it doesn’t advertise on certain shows “for a variety of reasons.” It’s unclear if 23 and Me and ELOQUII previously advertised on “Hannity,” and the companies didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
Realtor.com posted on Twitter on Saturday that it doesn’t run ads on “Hannity” and wouldn’t do so in the future. That tweet was later deleted, and the company posted a statement on its website Sunday stating it would “continue to place ads across a broad range of networks, including Fox News and its top shows.”
Realtor.com declined comment on the reason for the change.
Realtor.com and Fox News are both owned by News Corp.
Fox News didn’t immediately return a request for comment Monday.