A Fox News host mocked David Hogg’s college rejections, and his 14-year-old sister defended him like a pro
Update, March 30th, 8:20 a.m. PT: This story was amended to include Ingraham’s apology to Hogg.
Ever since the survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting assumed leadership of the gun control movement, critics have been attacking them. First, the Parkland students were accused of being crisis actors. Then, internet trolls photoshopped an image of Emma González to make it look like she was ripping up the Constitution of the United States. And now, a Fox News host has mocked David Hogg’s college rejections — and Hogg (and his sister) have fired back.
Hogg revealed in an interview with TMZ on March 28th that he has been rejected from four University of California schools. And Fox News host Laura Ingraham sneered at Hogg’s rejections on Twitter, claiming that the 17-year-old had complained about not being accepted and even poking fun at the high school senior’s grades.
"David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it," Ingraham tweeted. "(Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA...totally predictable given acceptance rates)."
Hogg responded to the TV host’s taunts by encouraging his nearly 600,000 Twitter followers to contact sponsors of Ingraham’s show, The Ingraham Angle and ask them to withdraw their support. He posted a list of the show’s top 12 advertisers and wrote, “Pick a number 1-12 contact the company next to that #.”
David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA…totally predictable given acceptance rates.) https://t.co/wflA4hWHXY
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 28, 2018
Pick a number 1-12 contact the company next to that #
Top Laura Ingraham Advertisers
1. @sleepnumber
2. @ATT
3. Nutrish
4. @Allstate & @esurance
5. @Bayer
6. @RocketMortgage Mortgage
7. @LibertyMutual
8. @Arbys
9. @TripAdvisor
10. @Nestle
11. @hulu
12. @Wayfair— David Hogg ☮️ (@davidhogg111) March 29, 2018
Hogg’s 14-year-old sister and fellow Parkland survivor Lauren Hogg called Ingraham’s attack “real low” and tweeted at the Fox News host to “please grow up.” She then called on First Lady Melania Trump to condemn Ingraham’s tweet as an act of cyberbullying.
How low are your ratings @IngrahamAngle that you have to start attacking my brother’s grades to get attention? If you ask me, he is more articulate than you and has far better character. Man, that’s real low even for you. Coming from a 14 year old, please grow up. #NeverAgain https://t.co/CgUVeGRfxP
— Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) March 28, 2018
HEY @FLOTUS MY BROTHER IS LITERALLY GETTING CYBERBULLIED BY @IngrahamAngle.
ANY COMMENTS?
— Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) March 29, 2018
And several others, including politicians and celebrities, also rushed to Hogg’s defense.
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/979354230074085377
I have to ask – @IngrahamAngle – honestly, what kind of a mother bullies a HS student who survived a school shooting and a massacre? These kids know more about grace and class than you'll ever understand. https://t.co/I8s4bhBcr0
— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) March 28, 2018
Hey, Laura! I’m not sure why you have such animosity for David, but maybe just scream into a pillow instead of publicly attacking a mass shooting survivor. @davidhogg111 is actually shifting a narrative that was fossilized by out of touch people like you. What did you do today? https://t.co/prxGOsYSrv
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 29, 2018
His friends are dead.
He's asking us to save other children from being killed.
One of the organizers of massive protests.
Fox News host mocks him for some colleges rejecting him even though he has an impressive GPA.
Guess @davidhogg111 has really gotten under Fox News' skin. https://t.co/HmxmOrcBK4— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) March 28, 2018
On the afternoon of March 29th, Ingraham tweeted an apology to Hogg. She wrote that “Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA” and said she was sorry for “any upset or hurt” she may have caused.
Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA —incl. @DavidHogg111. On reflection, in the spirit of Holy Week, I apologize for any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland. For the record, I believe my show was the first to feature David…(1/2)
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 29, 2018
By ridiculing Hogg over his college rejections, Ingraham was effectively bullying a child. Adults should not be attacking high school students — regardless of if they agree with their political positions or not. We’re in awe of everything the Parkland students have done for the gun control movement so far, and we stand by their efforts bring about positive change.
