'Hannity' fans tweet boycott Keurig after company pulls ads over his Roy Moore coverage

The hashtag "Boycott Keurig" was trending Sunday after outraged Sean Hannity fans learned that Keurig and other sponsors pulled ads from his Fox News show over his coverage of the sexual misconduct allegations levied at Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

But the online protest may be backfiring as many tweets bearing the hashtag are from people planning new coffee maker purchases to thank the company for standing against Hannity's handling of the situation.

On Thursday, the Washington Post published a story in which four women came forward said Moore pursued relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was an adult in the late 1970s and early '80s.

Moore fired back by denying the allegations and questioning the timing. “To think grown women would wait 40 years before a general election to bring charges is unbelievable,” he said during a Saturday appearance. 

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Hannity, too, weighed in. On his Thursday night show, he urged viewers not to rush to judgment against Moore.

Hannity then had Moore as a guest on his Friday radio show, and during that show, Moore said he didn't know one of the women who came forward. He went on to say he knew two other women named in the story, but said dating teenagers was “not my customary behavior” at the time.

“I’m not going to dispute anything, but I don’t remember anything like that,” he told Hannity. “I don’t remember dating any girl without the permission of her mother.”

Twitter users brought the coverage to the attention of sponsors who then tweeted that they are no longer running ads on Hannity's show. As of this writing, Keurig, Realtor.com and fashion line ELOQUII have confirmed that their ads have been pulled.

The pulled ads angered Hannity supporters who launched the #BoycottKeurig movement online. They also warned that the coffee machine maker should brace for sagging sales.

But by Sunday morning, many of the boycott Tweets were actually messages saying that Keurig was doing the right thing. 

The USA Today contributed to this story. Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138 or email him at justin.mack@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.