Busch League: It's Not About Diversity, It's About Dollars

The top executive of Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch has disavowed the embattled company’s ties to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney as sales of the beer crater.

“We need to clarify the facts that this was one can, one influencer, one post and not a campaign,” Michel Doukeris told investors during an earnings call.

The NY Post reports Doukeris went on to decry the “misinformation” spread on social media after Mulvaney last month posted a photo with a Bud Light while in a bathtub on TikTok to her more than 10 million followers.

The company faced immediate blowback from many conservative regions of the country. Calls for a Bud Light boycott have threatened its leading position as the country’s most popular brand.

During the week ended April 22 — the most recent industry data available — Bud Light sales plunged 21% vs. a year ago, accelerating from a 17% slide a week earlier and an initial weekly drop of 6% when the controversy kicked off during the first week of April, according to Nielsen IQ and Bump Williams Consulting.

Doukeris said the company was “providing direct financial support” to delivery drivers, wholesalers, and bar owners who were impacted by the backlash.

He then echoed the flat apology offered up by Bud Light CEO Brendan Whitworth on April 14.

“We will continue to learn, meet the moment in time, all be stronger and we work tirelessly to do what we do best: Bring people together over a beer and creating a future of more cheers,” Doukeris told Fox Business.

Ian Harvie

Meanwhile, trans comedian Ian Harvie, a 54-year-old actor who transitioned from a woman in his 20s, was cast in the Super Bowl ad that aired seven years ago and starred Seth Rogan and Amy Schumer touting an all-inclusive “Bud Light Party.”

This week Harvie said he wasn’t surprised the beer giant is backing away from its tie-up with Mulvaney, who has more than 10 million followers on TikTok.  “It’s not about diversity, it’s about dollars,” Harvie said in an interview with Ad Age published Wednesday. “They looked at [Mulvaney’s] socials and just said, ‘You know what? Here’s a topic that’s hot right now. Why don’t we pay this person to do a promotion?'”