The Lowe's department store chain has pulled its ads out of CBS's Big
Brother series following criticism of an episode in which one of the
contestants referred to people with autism as "retards." Although the
contestant, Adam Janinski, was taken to task by a fellow contestant
for his language, he responded, "I can call them whatever I want. I
work with them all day." CBS, although critical of Janinski's comments
as well, later disclosed that he works for the United Autism
Foundation of Florida. In a statement, Lowe's said that once
Janinski's comments were "brought to our attention, we decided not to
advertise on ["Big Brother"] further." John Gilmer, executive director
of Autism United, told Advertising Age, "Lowe's is doing the
responsible thing."
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