With 9 Gone, Does Rush Limbaugh Have Any Advertisers Left?
Editor’s  note: This is a quickly-developing story. See the latest on Rush Limbaugh here.
Rush Limbaugh’s brand is so toxic that he’s lost nine advertisers already, and has only a small handful left. Will they stay to the end?
Rush Limbaugh‘s list of active advertisers has been decimated. Limbaugh lost eight advertisers within a forty-eight hour period over the weekend after he called 30-year old female college student Sandra Fluke a “slut†and a “prostitute” and followed up after immense outrage from the Left by demanding that Fluke post online for him to see videos of her having sex. Late Saturday afternoon, having at that point lost six advertisers, Limbaugh issued a lukewarm apology, only to lose two more advertisers shortly thereafter. Then, less than one hour ago, Limbaugh lost one of his last key advertisers, AOL.
AOL joins Carbonite, ProFlowers, Citrix Online and all its businesses, including the popular GoToMeeting and GoToMyPC, Legal Zoom, Cleveland Cavaliers, Quicken Loans, Sleep Number, and The Sleep Train in dropping  – permanently or temporarily — the Rush Limbaugh show.
So, the question now becomes, does Rush Limbaugh have any advertisers left, and will those who “suspended” their advertising on his radio show and website return?
Unfortunately, while we can’t know yet, no doubt some of the advertisers Limbaugh lost will return. And if and when they do, it will be even more important to call them out publicly for what will be their hypocrisy.
Even the Christian Science Monitor minutes ago asked, “Has Rush Limbaugh permanently damaged his career?”
For Limbaugh, one problem right now is that his apology was not exactly a symphonic mea culpa. In it, he notes that he’s an entertainer and says he “did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.â€
But what’s “slut†but a personal attack? Limbaugh had also said Fluke should post tapes of her intimate acts online so “we can see what we’re getting for our money.†Is that not … pretty personal?
Critics thus clam that the degree of apology is not yet equivalent to the nature of the attack.
“This was not a case of bad ‘word choice’. It was a brutally sexualized accusation, against a specific person, prolonged over three days,†writes conservative commentator David Frum in a CNN piece.
But right now, Rush Limbaugh does have a small list of advertisers left. It’s challenging to be certain if the list of advertisers (below) are still advertising, directly or indirectly, on Rush Limbaugh’s show and/or website, but ToppleBush, which has been tracking Limbaugh’s advertisers for years, has published this list, adding the caveat that they “are still in the process of determining if these companies are current advertisers.”
Tax Resolution Services [TRS]
Hillsdale College
Health/Heart and Body
Allstate Insurance
Sears
Lear Capital
Some, like Sears, claim they do not advertise on Limbaugh’s show, yet StopRush states they still do. AllState via Twitter stated, “We do advertise across a # of programs but dont have the opp to review content of every show. We are not a sponsor of Rush,” which is inaccurate at best. If you are an advertiser you absolutely can pull your advertising from anyplace you don’t want it.
It’s important to keep the pressure on AllState, LifeLock, Sear, and others.
By the way, Limbaugh’s apology on Saturday was a short statement in which he revealed that every moment of his 35 years on the air have merely been “absurdity,†and that his comments and positions are not meant to be taken seriously. In other words, Limbaugh retreated to his supporters’ (faulty) default position that the conservative radio talk show shock jock is merely an “entertainer.â€
There is, of course at least one Facebook page advocating against Limbaugh’s advertisers.
It’s also important you thank those advertisers who dropped Limbaugh, as they are being attached by the right. See on Twitter #RallyForRush. Of course, there’s also the Twitter Hashtag #BoycottRush, which is far more active! Because, who wants to associate with a misogynistic ignorant bigot?
Related:
Add AOL To List Of Rush’s Advertisers Fleeing Toxic Limbaugh Brand
UPDATE: Why Is LifeLock Still Sponsoring Rush Limbaugh?
Now 8: Limbaugh Brand So Toxic Two More Advertisers Quit After “Apologyâ€
Limbaugh: Apologies, Excuses and Sluts
Limbaugh Brand Poison As List Of Advertisers Quitting Jumps Yet Again
Breaking: Fifth Advertiser Quits Rush Limbaugh After “Slut†Comments
Santorum On “Slut†Slur: Limbaugh An “Entertainer†Who Was “Being Absurdâ€
Limbaugh “Should Apologize†Says Scott Brown, First GOPer To Denounce
Third Limbaugh Advertiser Quits After Rush Calls 30 Year Old A ‘Slut’
Limbaugh Advertiser Exits Stage Left After Rush’s “Slut†Comments
Limbaugh: Law Student GOP Wouldn’t Let Testify Must Post Sex Tapes Online
Limbaugh Calls Law Student GOP Wouldn’t Let Testify “Prostitute†And “Slutâ€

Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.
![]() |