More than 50 advertisers have publicly announced they are pulling their ads from “The O’Reilly Factor” after the New York Times reported that five women who accused the show’s host Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior received settlements totaling $13 million.
But one company, Angie’s List, vocally rejected the boycott, as it continued to sponsor the show. The company argued that boycotting the show would amount to self-censorship, and insisted it would let its customers decide for themselves how to handle the allegations.
But public pressure proved to be too strong for the Indianapolis-based company: TheWrap learned Friday that Angie’s List will also drop O’Reilly.
Angie’s List disclosed its reversal to #GrabYourWallet campaign organizer Shannon Coulter, whose online campaign also reportedly forced Nordstrom to drop Ivanka Trump’s clothing line earlier this year. A rep for the company confirmed to TheWrap it was dropping “The O’Reilly Factor.”
“I wanted to let you know that on Monday, I’m going to be adding any of O’Reilly Factor’s remaining advertisers to the #GrabYourWallet website, which receives up to 2 million unique visits per month and has received a high volume of national and international press coverage,” Coulter wrote Angie’s List in an email obtained by TheWrap. “All publicly available contact information for Angie’s List including your own will be a part of the info included.”
The response from Angie’s List was short but decisive.
“Thanks for reaching out, Shannon. We are no longer advertising on that program.”
Several companies have refrained from discussing their ad buys on the show. Some, like Harvest Right freeze dryer, told TheWrap they were taking a wait-and-see approach.
But Angie’s List received an intense backlash online for its decision to stick with “O’Reilly Factor.”
“I won’t use Angie’s List while it advertises on the Bill O’Reilly show,” tweeted one Twitter user. “I support a women’s [sic] right to work without harassment.”
“If Angie’s List endorses a serial sexual harasser, I can’t trust anything they endorse. SHAME on your company for enabling O’Reilly,” tweeted another.
The number of ads that run on “The O’Reilly Factor” has been steadily declining as a growing number of companies boycott the show.
Only seven advertisements aired during Thursday’s show, according to CNN Money. At one point host O’Reilly threw to a commercial break only to return after a single one-minute ad. Among the companies still advertising on the show are Coventry and the Life Credit Company.
@Angie_Hicks I won't use Angie's List while it advertises on the Bill O'Reilly Show. I support a women's right to work without harassment.
— Pat Britain (@fairhaven7) April 6, 2017
We do hate to see you leave due to our efforts to reach and help as many people find Providers for projects.
— Angi (@angi_home) April 4, 2017