Car manufacturer GM, a long-running sponsor of CBS reality series Survivor, announced on Wednesday that it is ending its partnership with the program.

However, a spokesperson for the company says the move has nothing to do with the recent controversy over the show’s decision to separate contestants by race on the upcoming season.

“I think it’s just a coincidence,” said spokeswoman Ryndee S. Carney, according to the Associated Press. “I know it’s not cause and effect.” She said that the decision was made months ago when GM was deciding on ad buys, long before the ethnic twist was announced for Survivor.

While survivor has split teams based on age and gender in previous seasons, divisions based on race are new for the 13th edition. Contestants will initially be put into one of four groups — African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics and whites.

According to Carney, GM is looking to shift ad placement more heavily towards live sports, awards shows and other major events.

“There’s a limited number of possibilities as to how you can integrate a car or truck in a show that people spend their whole time on an island,” she said.






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