Finding someone who lights up every time a drug ad comes on TV might be a challenge, but former Fox News front man Tucker Carlson believes these commercials may have a more profound impact, attempting to influence the media.
Carlson, ousted from his prominent 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' segment on Fox News this year, has transitioned to hosting a new video series on X while maintaining the same format. Employing his renowned acerbic presenting style, he strongly criticized pharmaceutical drug ads.
In an interview on X this month, Carlson addressed his dismissal from Fox News in April. While numerous rumors circulate regarding the reasons behind his firing, in this interview, Carlson emphasized the significant influence of advertisers—especially pharmaceutical advertisers—in shaping the operations of major media entities like Fox.
During his tenure at Fox, Carlson voiced criticism towards figures such as Anthony Fauci, M.D., the outgoing director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and chief medical adviser to the president. He also questioned the necessity of wearing face masks during the pandemic, probed the origins of COVID, and expressed skepticism about the need for lockdowns.
Carlson, when asked about whether advertisers had influenced Fox in general, said advertisers “are the bogeyman […] especially pharma, which is the biggest advertiser in television.”
He said: “If Pfizer [which markets COVID vaccines and drugs] is sponsoring your show, you’re not going to question the vax, it’s that simple,” adding that their size and money helps “shape the news coverage.”
Elon Musk, the recent owner of X and a consistent promoter of Carlson's X series in recent months, posted on his account in response to the latest video: "Well said."
Brent Saunders, former Allergan CEO before its acquisition by AbbVie and current chief and chairman of Bausch and Lomb, countered Musk and Carlson on X.
“For the record @elonmusk and @TuckerCarlson, as a CEO in the pharmaceutical industry, I've spent over a billion dollars on ad revenue in my career, but let me be clear: never have I attempted, offered, or planned to influence the media,” he posted on X in reply to Musk's comment.
In an unusual rebuke from a pharma CEO, who deliberately steer clear of any real criticism of anything on social media, added: “Maybe you should find another scapegoat?”
Saunders later responded to a question from a X user, who asked: “Is advertising not intentionally used to influence?” saying: “Yes! Influence your target customers not the politics of the media. Of course you want your advertising to be on programming that targets your customers demographic.”
Real-time TV ad analysts over at iSpot.TV crunched the numbers for Fierce Pharma Marketing, and found that in 2020, commericals for prescription medicines aired 303 spots, which accounted for just 0.46% of the total number of TV ads, with that total including network promo spots.