If you woke up, saw the #BoycottKeurig hashtag trending on Twitter and wondered what kind of controversy the popular single-serve brewing coffee pods could cause, you’re not alone. As with many evil things in the United States, the origins can be traced back to Fox News.
Sean Hannity of Fox News is a loyal Republican. Hannity is so loyal to the GOP, that he used his show to provide a platform for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore. This is the same Moore who has been accused in a recent Washington Post report of having romantic or sexual relationships with four teenage girls when he was in his thirties.
“It never happened, and I don’t even like hearing it,” Moore told Hannity during an appearance on Hannity's radio show when pressed on the allegations.
Hannity then asked Moore if he remembered dating women in their teens while he was in his thirties.
“Not generally no,” Moore responded. “I don’t remember that, or dating any girl without the permission of her mother.”
If you can manage to stop dry heaving at a potential elected official in his thirties dating a woman young enough to need parental consent in the first place, consider that Hannity then admonished his viewers to give Moore the presumption of innocence after said radio interview.
As you see in the clip above, Hannity starts out on the right foot saying, “Everyone would agree—everybody—a 32-year-old man pursuing a 14-year-old girl is disgusting.” He added that the debate should transcend politics, before inserting the dreaded “however.”
“None of us know the truth,” Hannity said.
After hearing Hannity put on his cape for someone who allegedly tap-danced around the semantics of pedophilia, Keurig, Realtor.com, 23 and Me, Eloquii and Nature’s Bounty all reportedly pulled their ads from Hannity.
In response, Hannity fans turned what should be a rather one-sided ethical issue of not preying on teenage girls into a political rallying cry and took to Twitter.
Then things got really interesting. Twitter users who presumably don’t think it’s a good idea to defend a person waffling on pedophilia allegations clapped back in Keurig’s defense.
It may not be the type of publicity Keurig was looking for, but #BoycottKeurig has been trending on Twitter for the better part of the day, as Moore, Hannity and their supporters continue getting dragged.