On Friday, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch addressed the criticism surrounding Bud Light‘s collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Earlier this month, the corporation had endorsed a post on Mulvaney’s Instagram account that advertised Bud Light’s March Madness competition. According to Mulvaney, the company sent her a case of Bud Light with her face on them to celebrate a full year of “girlhood.”
“Just found out this had to do with sports and not just saying it’s a crazy month!” the 26-year-old TikTok star wrote as part of the post.
Many people responded to the collaboration with anger, with some even boycotting the beer for sponsoring Mulvaney. In fact, videos even started circulating on the internet of people pouring the beer down the drain and throwing the cans in the trash.
However, the company’s CEO, Brendan Whitworth, recently released a statement saying its intentions wasn’t to divide Americans.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth said. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
The statement 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. I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others. Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation.”
Nevertheless, the entire ordeal has caused the company to face a 30% decrease in bottled products and a 50% drop in its draft beer.
