October 5, 2017

Carlos Brito
Chief Executive Officer
Anheuser-Busch
250 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10177

Dear Mr. Brito:

With the nation’s attention riveted on the tragedy and loss of life in Las Vegas this weekend, the question everybody is asking is how something like this could happen. It is a question that perhaps will never be answered. I have a different question, one of more immediate importance to you and your company.

Having been reminded this weekend what a deranged mind is capable of, how can anyone stand by and continue to fund a television program that advocates anti-religious hate and bigotry and which could very well inspire similar conduct?

I am talking about your advertising on Leah Remini’s anti-Scientology reality television series on A&E. Leah Remini’s bigoted rhetoric has already inspired more than 500 threats and acts of hate and violence. These have taken various forms from threatening messages posted on Facebook and Twitter, harassing emails and phone calls, to acts of physical violence. Among the most recent threats are the following three:

• I’m going to go there to that center and personally murder the people there!
• The man you follow is a low life piece of shit and should [be] murdered.
• All you people should be gunned down!

I don’t need to draw you a picture of what could happen if any one of these deranged individuals obtains the means of carrying out their threats. Law enforcement is investigating them. We need to cut off the source that is fueling the threats: Leah Remini’s anti-Scientology reality TV show.

Leah Remini encourages people like this with her bigoted rants against the Church and its members. We have already seen one deranged Leah Remini fan drive her car through the front doors of the Church of Scientology of Austin, Texas, stopping just short of the nursery. The woman called Leah Remini “a true inspiration!!” and when informed that no one was hurt, her response was “That’s too bad.”

Another psychotic man was convicted of a felony for throwing a hammer through the plate glass windows of our U.S. Headquarters building and threatening to assassinate the religion’s leader. He was stirred up by Remini and her anti-Scientologist co-producer while Remini was appearing on a television program with the assailant’s mother. Before his arrest, the man was placed under mandatory mental health supervision, because of his irrational conduct and threats to kill the leader of the Church. The man was subsequently convicted of felony vandalism of a church and the authorities issued a Criminal Protective Order to protect the Church leader and all Scientology Church facilities in Southern California.

AFTER he was convicted of a felony for these crimes incited by Remini—with Remini knowing full well the crime committed, the conviction, the man’s threats and his ability to carry them out—she brought him on her show and, rather than condemn his actions, Remini lauded him!

We have seen the hate-fueled violence in this country escalate to historic proportions. Unfortunately, we will continue to see it escalate as long as people support television programs that incite hate against certain segments of our society. Leah Remini’s program is only one example. There are others. And I would say the same thing concerning them. Advertisers should refuse to fund any television program that marginalizes a group of people because of their religion, race, or for any reason.

We have heard from many advertisers assuring us that their companies do not support Leah Remini’s bigotry. And that is being reflected in the number of retail advertisers for the series decreasing by more than 50 percent and continuing to fall.

This is heartening, but it isn’t enough. A&E will continue to broadcast shows like this as long as any company is willing to fund them. And as long as companies support hate and bigotry, right thinking people will have nothing to do with them.

It should not come to that. So, I ask you again, before the series returns on October 10, please instruct the appropriate people in your company to redirect your ad buys in ways that tell A&E that you do not support the anti-religious message of this series.

Regards,

Karin Pouw