First it was Sleep Train Mattress Centers that spurned its longtime ally and business partner Rush Limbaugh.
Limbaugh on Thursday rejected Sleep Train's offer to resume advertising on his national radio show and rehire Limbaugh as a paid spokesman. Limbaugh's spokesman said the conservative commentator would no longer carry Sleep Train's ads "in the future."
Sleep Train stopped advertising on the show last Friday, becoming one of the first sponsors to drop Limbaugh. The company's decision came two days after Limbaugh called a Georgetown University law student a "slut" and a "prostitute" over her stance on health insurance coverage for contraception.
Limbaugh apologized to the student over the weekend.
Sleep Train's decision was especially noteworthy because
Limbaugh and Sleep Train chief executive Dale Carlsen have known each other since the 1980s, when Sleep Train was a small company and Limbaugh was an on-air personality at Sacramento's KFBK (1530 AM).
Limbaugh's spokesman Brian Glicklich sent Carlsen an email rejecting Sleep Train's efforts to make peace. The email noted that Sleep Train asked Limbaugh to resume his "voiced endorsement" in which he personally read the ad copy on the air.
"Unfortunately, your public comments were not well received by our audience, and did not accurately portray either Rush Limbaugh's character or the intent of his remarks. Carlsen couldn't be reached for comment but said in a prepared statement: "We confirm that Rush Limbaugh will no longer be one of Sleep Train's radio endorsers."
Although he apologized to law student Sandra Fluke, Limbaugh has downplayed the impact of losing advertisers.
Eric Dezenhall, a public relations executive in Washington who consults with companies facing crises, said Limbaugh's rejection could hurt Sleep Train.
Carlsen hired Limbaugh to read his radio ads back in 1986, when Sleep Train owned just two stores and Limbaugh was trying to kickstart a not-so-successful radio career.
The relationship with Sleep Train continued after Limbaugh moved to New York and became one of the biggest stars in radio.