Staples and at least two other major advertisers have dumped Don Imus over his racist and sexist remarks about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.
The office-supply chain was joined by Bigelow Tea and Internet firm Angieslist.com in saying they were pulling their ads from his syndicated radio show, which airs on WFAN-AM in New York and is simulcast on cable network MSNBC.
A number of other major advertisers said they were evaluating the situation.
Advertisers are also distancing themselves from the show after the Rev. Al Sharpton and other black leaders threatened to call an advertiser boycott if Imus wasn’t fired.
Cindy Bigelow, co-president of Bigelow Tea, which is a regular sponsor of his radio show, said she was “deeply saddened by his remarks, and his comments in no way represent the views of our family or the Bigelow Tea Co.
“This unfortunate incident has put our future sponsorship in jeopardy,” she added.
Separately, Staples decided to stop running its ads during the simulcast of Imus’ show on MSNBC.
“Recent comments that were made on the Imus program prompted us to revisit our decision to be an advertiser,” said spokesman Paul Capelli.
Meanwhile, Angie Hicks, the founder and marketing chief of Angieslist.com, another MSNBC advertiser, said the company was in the process of pulling its ads from the Imus show “indefinitely.”
A spokeswoman for TD Ameritrade, which regularly advertises across MSNBC and has appeared on Imus’ show, said the company was “evaluating” its advertising.
An MSNBC spokesman acknowledged yesterday that “a handful” of advertisers wanted to avoid Imus’ show and had asked to have their spots aired during different times of the day.
“We’re accommodating them,” said MSNBC’s Jeremy Gaines.