Credit: Instagram
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth was blasted on social media for his statement that was supposedly addressing the outcry over Bud Light’s partnership with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney.
Over the last few weeks, Bud Light has been facing intense scrutiny for partnering with Mulvaney. He is a social media influencer who impersonates women while he documented his full year of transitioning into “girlhood.”
On Friday, Whitworth published a very lengthy statement hoping to calm the rage that was aimed at Bud Light and its parent company.
“As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew,” Whitworth began. “We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.”
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” he continued. “My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.”
“Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation,” he later added.
Critics across the board tore Whitworth’s statement to pieces. Many of them concluded that he said “nothing” while others said he didn’t directly mention Bud Light or Mulvaney.
“What is he saying?” Fox News contributor Byron York asked.
“Hey @AnheuserBusch what exactly is this? It’s not an apology. It’s not a mea culpa. And no mention of why you felt the need to issue this statement. Your PR/marketing department really does suck,” former Bush official Michael D. Brown wrote.
“The company is going to find a statement like this only emboldens the bigots, while simultaneously turning off the people who supported their move to feature Dylan Mulvaney in the first place. Way to make sure you anger everybody over this issue. Sigh,” NPR TV critic Eric Deggans tweeted.
“Anheiser-Busch CEO has now released a statement in which he addresses zero of the problems with hiring a man cosplaying as a woman to sell cheap beer to a predominantly male audience,” The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro tweeted.
“This is not an apology, Apologize,” podcast host Tim Pool told Whitworth.
“It’s clear some horrendous woke corporate PR team wrote this cowardly gibberish. If @AnheuserBusch wants the boycott to end all they need to do is pledge they will no longer use company resources to promote transgenderism and hurt our children,” Trump adviser Stephen Miller tweeted.
Fox News reported:
Mulvaney, who has racked up over 10 million TikTok followers and another 1.8 million on Instagram, has collected several endorsements while climbing into viral stardom including KitchenAid, Tampax, Kate Spade, and Nike.
But it wasn’t until Mulvaney posted a video hocking Bud Light that set the internet ablaze.
The outrage towards the famous beer brand only intensified after comments surfaced from Bud Light VP Alissa Heinerscheid, who took a swipe at the “fratty” fan base hoping their advertising strategy would be more “inclusive.”
In the meantime, Anheuser-Busch has seen its value nosedive roughly $5 billion.
