Gay Super Bowl Ad Rejected by CBS

ManCrunch won't get its Super Bowl ad.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

January 29 2010 4:05 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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The much-derided ad for a new gay dating website called ManCrunch.com was formally rejected by CBS on Friday, reports CNNMoney.com.

"After reviewing the ad, which is entirely commercial in nature, our standards and practices department decided not to accept this particular spot," CBS spokeswoman Shannon Jacobs told CNN. "We are always open to working with a client on alternative submissions."

CBS said it turned down the ad partly for financial reasons, but ManCrunch believes there's antigay animus behind the decision. "It's straight-up discrimination," said Elissa Buchter, a spokeswoman for ManCrunch, told CNN.

Jacobs wouldn't comment on the discrimination accusation, but she did counter that that CBS also could not verify ManCrunch's credit. Buchter claims they planned to pay for the $2.5 million spot in cash and that the Toronto-based website is flush with tens of millions of dollars. On Thursday, a different ManCrunch spokesperson, Dominic Friesen, declined to tell The Advocate who the owners of the company were.

CBS's decision regarding ManCrunch follows their approval of a Focus on the Family-sponsored ad that features college football player Tim Tebow and his mother advocating against abortion.