2023 Bud Light Dylan Mulvaney Partnership

Overview

The Bud Light Dylan Mulvaney Partnership refers to a series of sponsored posts by trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, including a video advertising the "Easy Carry" contest from Bud Light in celebration of March Madness in which participants film themselves carrying as many Bud Lights as possible for a chance to win $15,000. The posts sparked backlash online in April 2023, largely from conservatives, who criticized Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch for partnering with a transgender person, some painting it as Bud Light "pandering to the woke left." Other people also began boycotting the beer and brand as controversy spread in the following days. Musician Kid Rock notably responded to the sponsorship by posting a viral video shooting a case of Bud Light. The campaign and reactions also inspired memes referencing it around social media.

Background

On February 11th, 2023, trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a sponsored video advertising Bud Light on Instagram^[1] in which she appears in a bubble bath drinking the beer, garnering over 34,000 likes in two months. On April 2nd, Dylan Mulvaney made a sponsored post to Instagram^[2] in which she drinks Bud Light and advertises Bud Light's "Easy Carry" contest that invites viewers to post a video carrying as many Bud Lights as possible with the hashtag "#EasyCarryContest" for a chance to win $15,000.

In the video, she also shares that Bud Light sent her a custom-made can with her face on it to celebrate her "365 Days of Girlhood" project, celebrating a year since she transitioned. The post (embed unavailable, reupload shown below) gained over 134,000 likes in three days.

🧵 This is what's up with everyone talking about Bud Light if you see some memes flying around…"Dylan Mulvaney is the new brand ambassador for Bud Light." pic.twitter.com/4yKxaxpw2g

— Numberonepal🐝 (@numberonepal) April 2, 2023

Online Reactions

Conservative Backlash

The sponsorship received considerable backlash from conservative and anti-LGBTQ+ voices online, among others. On April 1st, 2023, Twitter^[3] user @OliLondonTV reposted the first sponsored video, writing, "Dylan Mulvaney is now getting paid $10000+ to be the face of brands […] Mock Women= Get Rewarded," garnering over 6,500 likes in four days. On April 2nd, Twitter^[4] user @DC_Draino retweeted the post, writing:

"I remember when Bud Light commercials used to be everyone’s favorite during the Super Bowl. They’d have rock music, good looking women, and full contact sports clips. Now they do this virtue signaling insanity just days after a Trans terrorist killed little kids. See ya 👋🏼"

On April 3rd, Twitter^[5] user @WokelyCorrect posted a comic reacting to the backlash, garnering over 2,700 likes in two days (shown below, left). Later that day, Twitter^[6] user @thinkiamsad made a post criticizing the comic and the general reaction from the right, garnering over 4,100 likes in the same span of time (shown below, right).

Defense of Dylan Mulvaney and Bud Light

While numerous conservatives and other individuals criticized the partnership, many others defended Mulvaney and Bud Light from the backlash, some criticizing conservatives for being "snowflakes" and getting "triggered" about the partnership (examples shown below).

Kid Rock Shoots Bud Light Case

On April 3rd, 2023, Kid Rock posted a now-viral video to Twitter^[7] (@KidRock) in which he adds to the backlash by shooting a case of Bud Light with a submachine gun and then exclaims, "Fuck Bud Light, fuck Anheuser-Busch" (shown below). The video gained over 182,000 likes and 40,000 retweets in two days. The story was reported on by numerous media outlets over the following days.^[11][12]

pic.twitter.com/dSmCGySoul

— KidRock (@KidRock) April 4, 2023

Bud Light Boycott (TanManWho, Tom MacDonald)

Some people reacted to the sponsorship by boycotting Bud Light and posting videos in which they pour out their Bud Light, announcing that they will no longer be drinking the beer. For example, on April 4th, 2023, TikToker^[8] @tanmanwho posted a video doing this and announcing his move to Coors Light, garnering over 2.3 million views in a day. The video was reposted by the Twitter^[9] page @ChudsofTikTok that day, who added clips to the end showing that Coors Light has also done pro-LGBTQ+ campaigns in the past, garnering over 11,000 likes in a day (shown below). The video was reacted to numerous times on TikTok, mostly by users criticizing TanManWho for being so outraged about the sponsorship.^[13]

"If my dead ex husband was alive he would be extremely pissed off. Bud light was his garage fridge beer. He wouldn't touch these cans!" – 🤡Watch till the end. pic.twitter.com/QUMWFrOXJo

— ChudsOfTikTok (@ChudsOfTikTok) April 4, 2023

On the same day, conservative rapper Tom MacDonald posted a video to Twitter^[10] congratulating people for boycotting Bud Light, garnering over 18,900 likes in a day (shown below).

Dear Bud Light… pic.twitter.com/D4nK6U8UzP

— Tom MacDonald (@IAMTOMMACDONALD) April 4, 2023

Fenway Park Bud Light Video

On May 2nd, 2023, TikToker^[19] @luistejadabostonrealtor posted a video filming the concession stands at Fenway Park during a Redsox game, showing concession stand offering Bud Light that's empty. The user claims all of the Bud Light stands are like this. The video garnered over 1.3 million views in three days and was reported on by the New York Post^[20] on May 4th (shown below).

Developments

On April 4th, 2023, the conservative satire site The Babylon Bee published^[14] an article titled, "Scientists At Budweiser Attempt To Discover How Many Beers It Would Take For Dylan Mulvaney To Pass As A Woman." That same day, Twitter^[17] user @DC_Draino made a post claiming to have insider info on the partnership, writing that a "Leftist manager secretly did it on their own to push trans agenda," garnering over 24,000 likes in a day (shown below, left). However, this is unconfirmed.

On the same day, the Facebook^[18] page Cop Humor posted a graphic of Anheuser-Busch-owned companies, writing, "I’m told consuming any of these products may result in the urge for men to put on some makeup, a bikini and frolic in a bubble bath," garnering over 4,900 shares and 4,200 reactions in a day (shown below, right).

Also on April 4th, conservative pundit Candace Owens posted a video to YouTube^[15] discussing the partnership in which she criticizes Mulvaney's attitude in the video for what Owens perceived as her portraying women as stupid and calls her a "little pervert" and a "transgendered weirdo," saying she's "dressing like a little girl," garnering over 87,000 views in a day (shown below, left). On April 5th, The Young Turks posted a video to YouTube^[16] defending Mulvaney, garnering over 43,000 views in nine hours (shown below, right).

Search Interest

External References