Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, is standing by Dylan Mulvaney and its partnership with the trans actor following backlash from conservative activists and Kid Rock. Photo: Dylan Mulvaney/Instagram
Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, is standing by Dylan Mulvaney and its partnership with the transgender influencer following backlash from conservative activists and Kid Rock.
Bud Light partnered with Mulvaney to promote the company’s March Madness contest on TikTok.
Mulvaney, who has more than 10 million followers on TikTok, posted an Instagram video Friday that shows her dressed as Audrey Hepburn’s character in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” drinking a Bud Light and holding a custom beer can with her face on it.
“Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics,” an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said in a statement. “From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
The video sparked backlash among social conservatives who are passionate about Bud Light and were upset the company aligned itself with a trans social media influencer.
In an Instagram video, Kid Rock, wearing a MAGA hat, shoots several Bud Light cans.
“Grandpa’s feeling a little frisky today. Let me say something to all you and be as clear and concise as possible,” he says before firing at four packs of cans with a rifle and proceeding to flip off the camera. “Fuck Bud Light and fuck Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day.”
The right-wing rhetoric and Kid Rock’s video come as transgender people continue to be targeted by Republican lawmakers. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 451 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country so far this year.
In Mulvaney’s video, the 26-year-old influencer promotes the company’s March Madness contest with a $15,000 prize. The caption identifies her as a #budlightpartner.
“I kept hearing about this thing called March Madness, and I thought we were all just having a hectic month, but it turns out it has something to do with sports,” she jokes in the video. “I’m not exactly sure which sport but either way it’s a cause to celebrate.
“This month I celebrated my 365 days of womanhood and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever — a can with my face on it,” Mulvaney said, noting her year-end milestone of transitioning.
