MSNBC’s Al Sharpton Uses Network To Launch Boycott of Companies That Cut DEI Programs
MSNBC host Al Sharpton announced plans on the liberal network Monday to boycott corporations that have ditched diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, marking yet another conflict of interest for the activist and liberal network.
Sharpton told MSNBC colleague Joy Reid he will select "two or three companies" that his National Action Network will boycott to show that "Donald Trump can’t make us spend money for companies that will not deal and commit and continue with diversity and equity and inclusion."
"What we said today is that these companies that are now saying they’re going to back up off of diversity and equity and inclusion, should therefore not have a diverse consumer base," said Sharpton, who hosts MSNBC’s weekend show PoliticsNation.
The campaign comes as Sharpton and MSNBC face scrutiny over a series of Washington Free Beacon reports that the Kamala Harris campaign gave $500,000 to Sharpton’s National Action Network—which paid him $650,000 in 2023—just before the anchor-activist interviewed the Democratic presidential candidate on MSNBC in October. The Society of Professional Journalists, considered the gold standard of media ethics, called the conflict of interest a "black eye" that "harms the credibility of the journalist, the news organization, and journalism overall." President Donald Trump recently said the arrangement was "totally against the law."
Major corporations like McDonald’s, Walmart, and Meta have ditched DEI policies in the wake of Trump’s election, part of a broad backlash against "woke" corporate policies that emerged during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Sharpton, who said he will announce boycott targets within 90 days, has long been accused of weaponizing National Action Network to threaten companies into making donations to the nonprofit, or making other concessions.
Media executive Byron Allen, one of the country’s richest black businessmen, alleged in a 2015 lawsuit that Sharpton "has a business model and track record of obtaining payments from corporate entities in exchange for his support." Allen accused MSNBC parent Comcast of paying $3.8 million to Sharpton’s charity in exchange for endorsing "sham diversity agreements."
Hedge fund executive Bill Ackman, who has been targeted by Sharpton boycotts for opposing DEI initiatives, described Sharpton’s playbook in a recent interview with journalist Megyn Kelly.
"The off-ramp … with Al Sharpton is if you make the right donation to the right place, the protesters go away," Ackman said.
MSNBC and the National Action Network did not respond to requests for comment.
The post MSNBC’s Al Sharpton Uses Network To Launch Boycott of Companies That Cut DEI Programs appeared first on .