Hulu Reverses Policy on Abortion and Gun Violence Ads After Public Outcry

After news broke that Hulu refused to run political ads on key themes of Democratic midterm campaigns, including abortion rights and gun violence, parent company Walt Disney Co. has reversed course, announcing that Hulu will now accept political issue advertising.

Hulu policies previously prohibited ads featuring "controversial content," including abortion, guns, and the January 6 insurrection — topics that are heavily addressed in Democratic campaigns. Since news of its ad policy was publicized on Monday, the streamer has faced intense public criticism, and a #BoycottHulu campaign trended on social media sites.

In response to the public outcry, Disney announced a policy change Wednesday morning.

"After a thorough review of ad policies across its linear networks and streaming platforms over the last few months, Disney is now aligning Hulu's political advertising policies to be consistent with the Company's general entertainment and sports cable networks and ESPN+," the company said in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter."

"Hulu will now accept candidate and issue advertisements covering a wide spectrum of policy positions, but reserves the right to request edits or alternative creative, in alignment with industry standards."

Disney+, on the other hand, will not allow any political ads or alcohol commercials when the streaming service's ad-supported tier launches later this year.

Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.