Geraldo Rivera Says Tucker Carlson Ad Boycott Is ‘Attempted Mind And Thought Control’
With Fox News host Tucker Carlson currently dealing with an advertiser boycott in response to outrage over his claim that immigration makes the United States “poorer and dirtier,” one of his colleagues took to Twitter to rail against the backlash by likening it to mind control.
“Boycotting shows is attempted mind & thought control, intimidation (of producers & advertisers), flagrant censorship and an assault on the spirit and intent of the First & Fifth Amendments,” Fox News correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera tweeted out Thursday afternoon, tagging Tucker’s Twitter handle.
Boycotting shows is attempted mind & thought control, intimidation (of producers & advertisers), flagrant censorship and an assault on the spirit and intent of the First & Fifth Amendments.@TuckerCarlson
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) December 20, 2018
Almost immediately, Rivera found himself on the receiving end of pointed mockery, which was all but expected due to the over-the-top nature of his remarks.
One of the progressive activists who has been spearheading the Tucker ad boycott, Jordan Uhl, clapped back at Geraldo and reminded him that the “best example of Tucker being censored is how he still has a prime-time cable show.”
Yeah good point. The best example of Tucker being censored is how he still has a prime-time cable show. Completely silenced! https://t.co/0bWHco8XrP
— jordan (@JordanUhl) December 20, 2018
“Completely silenced!” Uhl added.
With his tweet getting absolutely ratio’d mere minutes after hitting send, Rivera reacted to those “piling on.”
To all those piling on, boycotts suck. They are a menace to society; anti-democratic blackmail. If a show is offensive, then don’t watch it. Some of the shit I see on TV makes me puke, but I don’t threaten third party companies that have nothing to do with the alleged offense.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) December 20, 2018
“[B]oycotts suck,” he tweeted. “They are a menace to society; anti-democratic blackmail. If a show is offensive, then don’t watch it. Some of the shit I see on TV makes me puke, but I don’t threaten third party companies that have nothing to do with the alleged offense.”
As of Thursday, at least 20 companies and brands have pulled their ads from Tucker Carlson Tonight following his immigration remarks last week, and the program appears to be feeling the impact as it ran fewer ads than normal Wednesday night. Fox News has reacted to the boycott by lashing out at progressive groups Media Matters and Sleeping Giants, who have helped target and pressure Carlson’s sponsors.
