Rush Limbaugh advertisers continue to flee over 'slut' controversy (UPDATE)

GlobalPost

AOL Inc. and Allstate were among the growing list of companies Monday to pull ads from "The Rush Limbaugh Show" after the conservative pundit called a law school student a "slut" and "prostitute."

Limbaugh apologized for the comments Saturday, but his words failed to stem the exodus of advertisers from his show, top radio talk show in the U.S., CNN reported.

"At AOL one of our core values is that we act with integrity," AOL wrote in a post on their corporate Facebook page. "We have monitored the unfolding events and have determined that Mr. Limbaugh's comments are not in line with our values. As a result we have made the decision to suspend advertising on The Rush Limbaugh Radio show."

Tax Resolution Services CEO Michael Rozbruch said his firm is pulling ads for now. The company has endorsements from Limbaugh and other conservative broadcasters on its website, The Associated Press reported.

Later on Monday, CNBC reported that insurance giant Allstate was pulling its ads from the program.

More from GlobalPost: Limbaugh calls student 'slut' for wanting birth control

Other sponsors dropping spots from Limbaugh's show include mattress companies like Sleep Number and The Sleep Train, and companies that assist small businesses like Citrix, LegalZoom and QuickenLoans, according to CNN.

Limbaugh has taken flack from liberals and conservatives for talking at length about the sex life of Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown University law student who testified in support of the Obama administration’s requirement that health insurance plans cover contraceptives for women, The New York Times reported.

Critics have called his apology insincere, but Limbaugh said Monday he meant it, USA Today reported.

"Those two words were inappropriate. They were uncalled for and they distracted from the point I was actually trying to make," Limbaugh said, before criticizing what he calls President Barack Obama's "socialist agenda."

More from GlobalPost: Rush Limbaugh apologizes to Sandra Fluke

In an appearance Monday on ABC's "The View," Fluke said Limbaugh's apology changes nothing.

"I don't think that a statement like this issued, saying that his choice of words was not the best, changes anything, and especially when that statement is issued when he's under significant pressure from his sponsors who have begun to pull their support," she told "The View."

Don Imus called Limbaugh's apology "lame" and referred to his fellow radio talk show host as an "insincere pig" on his program, according to a video sent out by Media Matters.

In 2007, Imus' program was canceled by CBS after he made racially insensitive remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

More from GlobalPost: Obama phones Georgetown student Limbaugh called a 'slut'

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