These 2 Massachusetts companies are pulling ads from ‘The O’Reilly Factor’
Boston-based Wayfair and Waltham-based Constant Contact are pulling advertisements from Fox News’ ‘The O’Reilly Factor,’ following allegations of sexual harassment surfacing against the show’s host, Bill O’Reilly.
A New York Times story published on Saturday reported that five women had been paid a total of $13 million in payouts – either from Fox News or from O’Reilly himself – related to sexual harassment claims they made against the television host. O’Reilly has denied that the claims have merit. However, the allegations have led several companies to remove their advertisements from the hour-long program.
“Based on the recent allegations and our strong commitment to inclusion, respect and tolerance in the workplace, we have decided to pull Constant Contact’s ads from ‘The O’Reilly Factor,'” company spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton said in a statement to Boston.com.
Wayfair confirmed to BostInno on Tuesday that it would no longer be running ads during ‘The O’Reilly Factor.’ The company did not respond to a request for comment from Boston.com.
Other companies who have pulled advertisements from the show include automobile manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz, insurance company Allstate, and pharmaceutical maker Sanofi SA–which acquired Cambridge-based biotech firm Genzyme in 2011.
Paul Rittenberg, executive vice president of advertising sales for Fox News, said that the company will move advertisements from these companies to other Fox News shows.
“We value our partners and are working with them to address their current concerns about ‘The O’Reilly Factor,'” Rittenberg said in a statement.
O’Reilly, who has been hosting the breakout Fox News show since 1996, has ties to the Bay State. He graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and he received a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard. He also interned at the Boston Phoenix and WBZ-TV, and he worked at the station that would eventually become WHDH-TV.
