Edie Falco's Anti-Horse Carriage Ads Pulled Unexpectedly From Cable

Former Sopranos star Edie Falco is starring in a new ad spot in New York City urging the City Council to ban the horse carriage industry, which local activist groups deem “abusive.” Charter Communications originally approved the ad, but reversed course over the weekend and pulled it from their lineups.

New Yorkers for Clean Livable and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) co-founder and president Steve Nislick said he was blindsided when Charter Communications changed their minds and is now threatening legal action.

“We are writing to inform you that NYCLASS is exploring aggressive legal action in response to Charter’s decision to approve – and then inexplicably remove – our recent television ads from your cable networks,” Nislick said in a letter to Charter Communications president & CEO Tom Rutledge.

“The advertisements in question include narration from Emmy-award winning actor Edie Falco and feature footage of injured carriage horses captured by bystanders on the streets of midtown Manhattan. In recent weeks, these very images have been broadcast on many networks in your system, including Spectrum News NY1, PIX11, WCBS and others.”

According to Nislick, Charter only provided a vague explanation as to why they pulled the ads, citing the “graphic” nature of the content. Charter also didn’t offer any guidance as to how to re-edit the ads to gain approval. Nislick said he seeks “further clarification” about Charter’s cancellation of the six-figure ad buy and an explanation as to what specifically was “too graphic” with its content.

The horse carriage drivers are represented by the Transport Workers Union, and unsurprisingly, they oppose banning their tourist-heavy industry.