The company decided to pull its crypto advertisement after a Fox News host made inflammatory comments about a shooting in the United States
Grayscale Investments, the firm that recently made headlines for airing a cryptocurrency advertisement, removed its spot from Tucker Carlson’s primetime show after the host made controversial remarks regarding a shooting that occurred during a Black Lives Matter protest.
The ad was part of a national campaign promoting digital currency. It launched three weeks ago and aired on FOX, FOX Business, CNBC, and MSNBC.
On August 27, Carlson, a Fox News host, appeared to justify a shooting carried out by a 17‑year‑old armed with an automatic rifle. The incident resulted in two protesters killed and one injured.
“Are we really surprised that looting and arson have surged? How shocked are we that 17‑year‑olds with guns decide they must hold the line when no one else will?” he asked.
Public response on social media was swift. Popular YouTuber and political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen criticized the show’s eight sponsors, saying they had “paid Tucker Carlson to defend a killer on the air.”
Grayscale was one of the eight sponsors of the program.
Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jamie in a 2018 school shooting, posted an impassioned tweet responding to Carlson’s comments.
“My daughter was murdered by an 18‑year‑old with an AR‑15. He just walked into her school. Tucker, you’re a giant lunatic who gets people killed. I hope advertisers drop you from the air today. You need to be removed for the safety of our kids,” read his tweet.
Grayscale quickly issued a statement on Twitter, assuring netizens that the views expressed on the show “absolutely do not align with our values or what we stand for.”
“We became aware that one of our advertisements ran last night during a program that is not consistent with our values or what we stand for. We are investigating how this aired outside our agreed media guidelines to ensure this does not happen again,” the company said.
Reactions to Grayscale’s decision to pull the ad were mixed. Some praised the company’s swift action, while others argued Grayscale should have remained focused on promoting cryptocurrencies and avoided taking a political stance. Matt Messex, a crypto investor, tweeted that he would close his accounts over what he described as a politicized stance by Grayscale.
Grayscale is a high‑profile crypto investment firm managing $5.8 billion in assets.