Bud Light is facing backlash over a recent partnership.
Transgender activist and model Dylan Mulvaney, known for her joyful content and Days of Girlhood series on TikTok, recently partnered with Bud Light to promote the company’s #EasyCarryContest timed for the NCAA March Madness tournament. The short video, posted on her Instagram, features Mulvaney announcing the sweepstakes for the chance to win $15,000.
“This month, I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever: a can with my face on it,” she shares in the video. A separate video shared on her Instagram story showed Mulvaney sipping Bud Light in a glamorous bathtub while waiting on hold with a customer service line, a similar concept to the brand’s 2023 Super Bowl ad.
The partnership sparked an abundance of transphobic comments online, as conservative posters urged for a boycott of the brand and parent company Anheuser-Busch. Hashtags #BoycottBudLight and #BoycottAnhesuer-Busch appeared on Twitter and Instagram on Monday, and some users shared videos of themselves pouring the beer down the drain.
Musician Kid Rock posted a video of his angry response on Instagram late Monday night, in which he can be seen shooting cases of Bud Light with a gun. “F*ck Bud Light, and f*ck Anheuser-Busch,” he states in the video. This controversy comes on the heels of anti-trans legislation moving forward in states including Kentucky and Florida.
In a comment to Newsweek, a representative for Anheuser-Busch stated that the company “works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics. From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers like Dylan Mulvaney.”
