Fox News Host Bill O’Reilly Is Rapidly Entering The No-Sponsor Zone

Nine more companies announced Tuesday that they will no longer advertise on The O’Reilly Factor, which is Fox News Network’s highest-rated prime-time show.

Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW of North America, Constant Contact, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, UNTUCKit, Allstate, T. Rowe Price, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi are all taking their ad dollars elsewhere after a report from the New York Times exposed that five women had charged O’Reilly with sexual or verbal abuse over the years. Fox News paid at least $13 million to settle those cases out of court.

A spokesman for the clothing company UNTUCKit noted that two-thirds of its employees are women, and a company spokesperson added:

“Moreover, it is important our corporate partners reflect the same principles of inclusivity and equality upon which we have built our brand. In light of the disturbing allegations, we instructed our media buyer this morning to reallocate our ad dollars to other shows effective immediately. We will continue to closely monitor the situation but believe this is the right decision at this time.”

Sanofi, which manufactures products such as Gold Bond and ACT mouthwash also said via a spokesperson that they found O’Reilly’s behavior to be offensive:

“The controversy around The O’Reilly Factor program and allegations made against Bill O’Reilly are matters that we take seriously and will continue to monitor. We do not endorse the behavior or opinions of program hosts or the content. We have reallocated our current advertising originally scheduled during this program. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation as we plan future advertising decisions.”

For his part, O’Reilly had this to say about the Times report and the allegations it details:

“Just like other prominent and controversial people, I’m vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity. In my more than 20 years at Fox News Channel, no one has ever filed a complaint about me with the Human Resources Department, even on the anonymous hotline.”

O’Reilly’s show has been a cash cow for Fox News, generating a reported $446 million in ad revenue between 2014 and 2016. But the host’s bad behavior may have brought those days to a crashing end.

UPDATE: Eight more companies have now pulled their ads from The O’Reilly Factor, bringing the total to 18. Here’s the list as of 7:30pm EST:

Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW of North America, Mitsubishi Motors, Lexus, Constant Contact, Bayer, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, Orkin, UNTUCKit, Allstate, Esurance owned by Allstate), T. Rowe Price, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, Credit Karma, Wayfair, and TrueCar.

Featured Image Via Fox News