Recently, Dylan Mulvaney attempted to shrug off the Bud Light backlash that has ensued for months. Back in April, Bud Light and Mulvaney collaborated for a promotional social media marketing stunt that involved a celebratory can of the beer with the influencer’s face on it.
The marketing move clearly turned off beer drinkers, as Bud Light has faced disastrous consequences since the partnership with Mulvaney. In the months since, sales have consistently plummeted in the double digits, billions of dollars in market value were lost, and Bud Light’s brand image may now be damaged beyond repair.
However, despite the ongoing controversy, Mulvaney recently appeared at the 2023 Streamy Awards. Mulvaney apparently accepted the award for Breakout Creator at the event. The influencer dedicated an acceptance speech to convincing everyone they should be an “ally” to the transgender community and feel compelled to support their cause.
“I know that my community is feeling it, and I now know that even our allies are feeling it,” Mulvaney said. “I look around this room, and I just see so many amazing allies that have platforms, and I think ally-ship right now needs to look differently, and you need to support trans people publicly and proudly.”
Mulvaney alleged the transgender community had a hopeful future, claiming, “I think the trans community and the creator community actually have something in common, and that’s that people often underestimate us. But I know that we can stay optimistic about just the future of trans-ness in general, because if we can influence people to buy $22 Erewhon Smoothies, we can also do this.”
The transgender activist concluded the speech by stating, “I’m gonna go have a beer, and I love ya.”
Mulvaney recently criticized Bud Light for not backing the influencer amid the palpable backlash against their partnership. “For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want. It has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community, and we’re customers too,” Mulvaney said.
Additionally, the heir to the Anheuser-Busch fortune, Billy Busch, spoke out against the company’s leadership, which has counteracted his ancestors’ hard work. “I think my family my ancestors would have rolled over in their grave. They were very patriotic. They love this country and what it stood for. They believe that transgender, gays, that sort of thing was all a very personal issue,” Busch said.
Busch has also indicated he is interested in potentially buying back Bud Light and restoring the beer giant to its former glory. The heir has suggested he could “make that brand great again.”
“I urge that company, InBev, if they don’t want that brand any longer, sell it back to the Busch family. Sell it to me. I’ll be the first in line to buy that brand back from you. And we’ll make that brand great again,” Busch said.
