Media

CBS

CBS is a major U.S. broadcast network and radio/TV company; in 2007 CBS Radio carried Don Imus’s nationally syndicated morning show.

The quick read Reason for concern Reviewed Aug 24, 2026

The quick snapshot

Public concern on the record.

These are summaries, not scores. Open every receipt before deciding.

Public concern

Why people pushed back

CBS Radio employed and then fired Don Imus after his April 4, 2007, on-air slur against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights women’s team. MSNBC dropped the simulcast first; CBS fired him April 12 after Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and fleeing sponsors. The slur is Imus’s; CBS’s receipt is employing and platforming him until the boycott forced a firing.

Firing after boycott pressure
April 12, 2007: CBS Radio fired ImusAfter Imus called Rutgers players “nappy-headed hos,” NBC/MSNBC dropped the simulcast April 11. History.com and contemporary coverage record CBS firing Imus on April 12 following meetings with Sharpton and Jackson and an advertiser exodus including GM and others.Source: HISTORY ↗
Advertiser boycott
Advertisers fled the Imus showLos Angeles Times reported sponsors including General Motors, Procter & Gamble, American Express, Sprint, and Staples pulled ads as outrage grew over the Rutgers comments—pressure that preceded CBS’s firing.Source: Los Angeles Times ↗

Aug 24, 2026 · The Cookout Editorial Desk

CBS kept Imus on the air until the Rutgers slur made sponsors flee

BLUF

In April 2007 CBS Radio fired Don Imus after he called the largely Black Rutgers women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos,” following advertiser and civil-rights pressure.

What happened

Don Imus’s CBS Radio show carried the April 4, 2007, “nappy-headed hos” attack on the largely Black Rutgers women’s basketball team. MSNBC dropped the TV simulcast April 11. On April 12 CBS fired Imus after Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson pressed the company and sponsors including GM and P&G fled.

The Cookout read

Concern. Platforms that profit from a shock jock own the moment they finally cut him loose. The slur is Imus’s voice; the delay-and-fire sequence is CBS’s. See also the Don Imus person file.

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Now / update

Where the record stands.

Last reviewed Aug 24, 2026. This is present-day status, not a new verdict.

Dated items opened here are the sourced Black-specific receipts in this file.

Last reviewed August 24, 2026.

Source file

Open the full passages.

Links may change after publication. Dates describe the event or publication listed in the record.

01
HISTORY
April 12, 2007: CBS Radio fired Imus · Apr 12, 2007
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02
Los Angeles Times
Advertisers fled the Imus show · Apr 11, 2007
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Community temperature check

Boycott CBS?

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BoycottPause spending until concerns are addressed. 0%0 votes

Don't boycottThe full record does not support a boycott. 0%0 votes

Still decidingI need more information first. 0%0 votes

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