Ace Hardware Resumes Laura Ingraham Advertising, Sparking Outrage
Ace Hardware has reportedly decided to resume advertising on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News talk show, a week after announcing it would quit ads with the conservative commentator.
A spokeswoman for the hardware chain told The Wrap the company had “incomplete information” when it decided to stop advertising on “The Ingraham Angle.”
Ace was among numerous companies that fled Ingraham’s show after she mocked David Hogg, a survivor of the February mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead.
“Advertising on any network or show, is in no way an endorsement from Ace of the content contained or spoken within that program,” the Ace spokeswoman said in a statement.
“We appreciate the different points of view from our customers, and believe people should be treated with respect and civility. ... At this time, we have not altered our current media schedule; however, we regularly review our media strategy.”
A week ago, an unnamed Ace spokeswoman confirmed “we do not have any plans to nationally advertise on Ingraham’s show in the future,” according to The Wrap.
HuffPost couldn’t immediately reach an Ace representative for comment.
People on social media quickly vented their outrage with Ace’s reversal, with some vowing to boycott:
Ace is the place with the spineless, weak-kneed twits. https://t.co/4iZC2nwoYM
— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) April 13, 2018
.@AceHardware LIED!
They tried to trick #TheResistance by pulling their ads from Laura Ingraham’s show, but reversed course a week later. 😠
They must think we're as gullible & misinformed as Fox viewers. Ace is the place FOR FOOLS!#BoycottAceHardwarehttps://t.co/vicgKgcy6x— Wes Jordan💦 (@wesley_jordan) April 13, 2018
@AceHardware , I’d like to know as well, since I started shopping there instead of Home Depot. I guess it will be Lowe’s now. https://t.co/wSc9RzLAxN
— Always_Windy (@AlwaysCadena) April 13, 2018
Hey @AceHardware, why are you *still* advertising on child-bully Laura Ingraham's show?
— William LeGate (@williamlegate) April 13, 2018
Sorry @AceHardware that you have shown your true colors by reversing your decision to stop advertising on Laura Ingraham's show. I will be reversing my decision to return to your stores and will encourage my friends and family to do the same. #BoycottAceHardware #BoycottIngraham https://t.co/0aKTZWoZb4
— Susan Littlehales 🇺🇸 #BoycottNRA🚫 (@SusanLittlehal1) April 13, 2018
😡In a callous move, @Acehardware has reversed its decision to stop advertising on Laura Ingraham's Fox News show. Just one week after announcing they'd no longer run ads on @IngrahamAngle, Ace had a change of heart & will resume ads. #BoycottAceHardwarehttps://t.co/xIl1nD1bKH
— Jon Cooper 🌊 (@joncoopertweets) April 13, 2018
Hey @AceHardware why are still advertising with child-bully @IngrahamAngle ?? I guess I'm going to @HomeDepot for my home remodel...#LauraIngrahamIsABully
— ResistingTeacher (@LeslieLaFayette) April 13, 2018
No more @AceHardware for me.https://t.co/yhPjKTONSb
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) April 13, 2018
The Ace flip-flop comes after other Ingraham advertisers, including Red Lobster, Blue Apron and SlimFast, announced that their ads will no longer appear on her program.
The advertisers abandoned Ingraham’s show after she tweeted that Parkland teenager Hogg, a high school senior, was “whining” about rejections from four California colleges:
David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA...totally predictable given acceptance rates.) https://t.co/wflA4hWHXY
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 28, 2018
Hogg, who has become a recognizable gun-control activist since the school shooting, called for a boycott of Ingraham’s show. The host later apologized, but only after sponsors started to drop out. Hogg called the apology disingenuous and wouldn’t accept it.
Other advertisers that dropped her show include Nutrish, TripAdvisor, Wayfair, Expedia, Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, Stitch Fix, Jenny Craig, Hulu and JoS. A. Bank. My Pillow’s founder vowed to continue advertising on Ingraham’s show.
Fox News co-president Jack Abernethy told the Los Angeles Times the network is standing by Ingraham: “We cannot and will not allow voices to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts,” he said.
Ingraham this week returned to the air after a vacation. A spokesperson for Fox News told HuffPost the show’s ratings have been “strong.”
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.