The CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company of Bud Light, said Wednesday that the brewer remains committed to supporting the LGBTQ community in spite of right-wing backlash over an advertising campaign featuring a transgender influencer.
“Bud Light has supported LGBTQ+ since 1998, so that’s 25 years, and as we’ve said from the beginning, we’ll continue to support the communities and organizations that we’ve supported for decades,” CEO Brendan Whitworth said during an interview on “CBS Mornings,” emphasizing that Bud Light’s core values revolve around inclusivity and “bringing people together.”
He said the controversy shifted the Bud Light conversation away from beer and had become divisive.
“And Bud Light really doesn’t belong there,” he said.
The controversy erupted when the company hired transgender TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a promotional campaign during March Madness, drawing criticism from conservative activists and consumers. Musician Kid Rock posed shooting up cans of Bud Light in a video in April. A barbecue restaurant owner in Kentucky decided to stop selling Bud Light after his patrons verbally harassed one another over drinking the beer.
The fallout had a significant impact on Bud Light’s position in the U.S. beer market, where it had reigned as the top-selling brand for over two decades. Bud Light sales have declined sharply amid the controversy, and the brand relinquished its leading position to Modelo (also owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev). Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign suspended the company’s equality and inclusion rating.
When asked whether he would do the Mulvaney campaign again, Whitworth evaded a direct answer.
“There’s a big social conversation taking place right now, and big brands are right in the middle of it, and it’s not just our industry or Bud Light,” he said. “It’s happening in retail, happening in fast food.”
“And so for us, what we need to understand is — deeply understand and appreciate — is the consumer and what they want, what they care about, and what they expect from big brands,” Whitworth added.
Bud Light is not alone in facing the wrath of conservative activists and lawmakers. Other brands, including Disney, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Target, also have faced backlash for supporting Pride events or inclusivity.