The following is an excerpt from the new book &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Call-Bud-Light-Americas/dp/1668070901" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Last Call For Bud Light:</a> The Fall and Future of America’s Favorite Beer,” by Anson Frericks (Threshold Editions/Simon &amp; Schuster).
* * *
The wait for the seven-floor elevator ride was taking longer than usual. Anheuser-Busch had recently moved its sales and marketing team from St. Louis to New York City, and more and more people were crammed into the glitzy new office. One of the elevators was broken, and a mob was waiting in the lobby. I decided to take the stairs.
I was on my way to meet Brendan Whitworth, the North American CEO of Anheuser-Busch. The meeting was critical. We had an opportunity for a partnership that could breathe new life into a company that had entered something of a midlife crisis. I’d crunched the numbers. The capital outlay would be negligible, but the profits could be immense. Anheuser-Busch, where I was President of U.S. Sales &amp; Distribution, could make millions.
As I rounded the corner from the stairwell to Brendan’s desk, the office décor suddenly struck me with new meaning. A turn-of-the-century advertisement hawking Anheuser-Busch’s 10-cent Faust beers hung on an iron-textured wall. The rare visual indulgence among what was otherwise an efficient, modern, glass-walled space. Nearby, an oil painting of a bottle of Budweiser rested in an oversized gilded frame, just barely missing the exposed pipes in the ceiling above. It was the perfect juxtaposition of the old and new. The vintage and modern. Even the lighting was marked by contrast. Naked industrial Edison bulbs hung from the ceiling aside sculptures made from dangling Bud Light bottles that looked like they might have been enjoyed at a backyard barbecue the weekend before. The ways of the old guard and the new.
The company had gone through many big transitions. From generations of ownership by the famed Busch family to the takeover by the unstoppable global beer conglomerate InBev. From opulence and Clydesdales to efficiency and zero-based budgeting. From Saint Louis to New York. Somehow, all of it was captured on my way to Brendan’s desk. This could be a turning point, too: Anheuser-Busch could go from a storied brewery whose brands were getting a little flat to something modern, something of-the-moment, something more.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Call-Bud-Light-Americas/dp/1668070901"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-874813 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/last-call-for-bud-light-9781668070901_hr-384x576.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/last-call-for-bud-light-9781668070901_hr-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/last-call-for-bud-light-9781668070901_hr-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/last-call-for-bud-light-9781668070901_hr-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/last-call-for-bud-light-9781668070901_hr-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/last-call-for-bud-light-9781668070901_hr-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/last-call-for-bud-light-9781668070901_hr-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/last-call-for-bud-light-9781668070901_hr.jpg 1400w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" /></a>
The partnership wasn’t without its risks, of course. The proposed partner was controversial—polarizing even—in some quarters. Some of our customers might be turned off. There might even be boycotts, though I thought the risk was extremely low.
But the upside was huge. It was an expansion opportunity, a chance to introduce ourselves to a new community. To make an impact, in a way that aligned with our mission to create a future with more cheers. We could start out small, see how it went, and hopefully grow our relationship over time. Our partner’s existing fans would grow to become our fans, and vice versa. A partnership to expand our audience, to appeal to a younger, more contemporary crowd.
I made my pitch. The CEO wasn’t convinced. Neither was Legal.
“Denied,” Anheuser-Busch’s Legal &amp; External Affairs Chief, Cesar Vargas, decried. “The reputational risks are simply too high.” Brendan didn’t push back. The partnership was killed on the spot.
You might think I’m describing a conversation in which Bud Light decided not to pursue its ill-fated marketing partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. But I’m not. I’m describing a very real conversation about a different partnership: a proposed distribution partnership with Black Rifle Coffee Company in 2022.
If you haven’t heard, Black Rifle Coffee’s mission is to serve coffee and culture to people who love America. For many customers, it’s the American heartland alternative to Starbucks. Its founder, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, was fed up with the way that Starbucks seemingly caters to the coastal, latte-loving elites. How it pledges to hire refugees over American citizens and promotes progressive politics. Black Rifle would be different. It would be pro-veteran, pro–first responder, pro-America. Its name is a reference to the black training rifle issued to troops at boot camp. It hires veterans and military spouses. It hosts archery tournaments for disabled vets. For a time, the founder let one of his down-on-his-luck former military colleagues crash in a trailer on the office grounds. It is a brand for someone who wants a drink that respects freedom and the people who fight for it, that doesn’t hold rural and blue-collar workers in contempt.
The company’s coffee, by the way, is also quite good.
The combination of strong product and targeted marketing was proving explosive. In 2019, Black Rifle sold $82 million worth of coffee. By year end 2021, that figure had ballooned to $233 million. The company had opened a handful of brick-and-mortar coffee shops where baristas slung handcrafted drinks with colorful names like a “camo latte” with Irish cream and mint and what I presume must be a highly caffeinated beverage called only “jet fuel.” But the real growth potential was in selling ready-to-drink cans and bagged coffee through retail channels. In certain markets, Black Rifle was already on the shelves at Walmart, Publix, 7-Eleven, Sam’s Club, and more. But it wanted to expand.
That’s where Anheuser-Busch could come in. Since the end of Prohibition, Anheuser-Busch has invested hundreds of millions of dollars building out a world-class distribution network. Hundreds of wholesalers already managed routes to deliver Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, and other Anheuser-Busch brands to these very same grocers, convenience stores, and retail outlets. They also distributed non–Anheuser-Busch brands like energy drinks, waters, and teas.
It would be a match made in heaven: Anheuser-Busch could distribute Black Rifle Coffee’s coffee cans on the same trucks that carried Bud Light. Black Rifle Coffee wouldn’t have to set up its own logistics chain, and Anheuser-Busch could grow its revenue.
But in January 2022, Anheuser-Busch’s top brass didn’t see it that way. Black Rifle Coffee may have been beloved by veterans and the Fox News crowd, but what would the New York City illuminati think of Brendan when news of the partnership spread at cocktail hours and dinner parties? Of course, they didn’t frame it that way. Instead, they invoked the mantra of “reputational risk” as though Anheuser-Busch’s customers would suddenly revolt if they knew that the truck that carried their beer to the store had also carried Black Rifle Coffee. &#8230;
At that moment, I knew that the company where I had spent eleven years had changed. And not for the better. Anheuser-Busch’s executives weren’t evaluating a partnership that could reach new customers and increase shareholder value, they were concerned because Black Rifle Coffee didn’t jive with their personal values and those held by their progressive stakeholders. They had lost touch with Anheuser-Busch’s brand. With its mission. With its consumers. And that’s what set the company up for a much bigger, much more public failure nearly a year later.
* * *
Excerpted from &#8220;<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Last-Call-for-Bud-Light/Anson-Frericks/9781668070901" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LAST CALL FOR BUD LIGHT</a>,&#8221; by Anson Frericks, published by Threshold Editions, a division of Simon &amp; Schuster. Copyright © 2025 by Anson Frericks.
Anson Frericks is the founder of Athletic Capital and the cofounder, with Vivek Ramaswamy, of Strive Asset Management. Prior to founding Strive, he led finance, sales, and marketing operations as president of Anheuser-Busch Sales &amp; Distribution Company. Anson is a frequent guest on Fox Business, CNBC, Fox &amp; Friends, Jesse Watters Primetime, and NewsNation, and his op-eds have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and more. He lives with his family in Cincinnati and received his BA from Yale and his MBA from Harvard.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Los Angeles Dodgers v Baltimore Orioles

I Worked At Anheuser-Busch When Bud Light Imploded. Here’s What I Learned.

Anheuser-Busch

Books

Corporations

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Dylan Mulvaney

Woke Culture

Though the San Francisco 49ers came up short at Super Bowl LVIII, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 25-22, their defeat on Feb. 11 pales in comparison to the one suffered by Bud Light during the weeks surrounding the big game.
This year&#8217;s Super Bowl achieved record viewership numbers, but beer sales declined 5.3% overall for the two weeks ending on Feb. 17 compared to the same period in 2023, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/bud-light-missed-out-on-the-super-bowl-party-a5387584" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to data compiled by Bum Williams Consulting and reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Bud Light sales alone plunged a catastrophic 30.1% compared to last year. Its sister brands Budweiser, Busch Light, and Michelob Ultra fared little better, experiencing drops of 17.7%, 7.2%, and 3.1%, respectively.
The brand experienced disastrous sales numbers after the Super Bowl despite a massive ad campaign during the game itself, featuring NFL legend Peyton Manning and musician Post Malone, the WSJ noted.
Meanwhile, rival brands Miller Lite and Coors Lite (both owned by parent company Molson-Coors) cashed in, with the latter seeing a nearly 10% increase in sales while the former saw a more modest 5% bump.
Modelo Especial also saw a 6.9% increase in sales and continued its streak as the nation&#8217;s favorite beer since it dethroned Bud Light back in May. Modelo as well as Corona are owned by the same company that owns Bud Light, but the U.S. distribution rights are owned by the Chicago-based Constellation Brands as a result of an antitrust lawsuit in 2013.
That Super Bowl slump isn&#8217;t even the latest bad news for Bud Light. In fact, it&#8217;s been a rough year for the formerly beloved beer brand after its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, decided to partner with trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney in the spring of 2023.
According to the fourth quarter earnings report that came out Thursday, AB InBev (the company that owns Anheuser-Busch) lost <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/business/bud-light-boycott-ab-inbev-sales/index.html">up to $1.4 billion</a> last year due to the firestorm of controversy that surrounded its Mulvaney partnership. The company identified the U.S. market in particular as the source of the massive loss, claiming its growth “was constrained  by the performance of our US business.”
“Revenue declined by 17.3% with sales-to-retailers (STRs) down by 12.1%, primarily due to the volume decline of Bud Light. Sales-to-wholesalers (STWs) declined by 16.1% as shipments lagged stronger depletions in December,” the company’s report said.
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AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris told investors that the company was recovering from its losses, but only at a glacial pace — about 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points every 3 to 4 weeks. From May 2023 to February 2024, Bud Light had regained only 1.2 points of its lost market share, according to CNN.
Mulvaney had first promoted Bud Light in a video of himself drinking the beverage in a bathtub on Feb. 11, 2023, but the backlash didn&#8217;t truly erupt until Mulvaney posted a second video for March Madness.
In the April 1 video, Mulvaney, infamous for a series of videos chronicling his transition called “Days of Girlhood,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/from-dylan-mulvaney-tanking-bud-light-to-the-downfall-of-disney-the-biggest-cultural-shifts-of-2023">showed off</a> a can of the light beer with his face on it. A few days later, Bud Light confirmed that it had indeed signed a brand partnership deal with Mulvaney in an effort to “authentically connect with audiences.”
Bud Light tried to excuse the partnership as just one of dozens it maintains with influencers around the world and noted that the Mulvaney-themed can was not for sale to the general public, but the firestorm had already been unleashed. Almost overnight, a beer brand widely regarded as a blue-collar American beverage became anathema among conservatives.
In the first week of the controversy, Bud Light sales <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/bud-light-sales-decline-dylan-mulvaney-transgender-boycott-1796451" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreased</a> 11%, and its stock <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/05/31/anheuser-busch-stock-enters-bear-territory-amid-anti-trans-bud-light-backlash/?sh=11c6283e1bfe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plunged</a> 20% by the beginning of June, losing Anheuser-Busch billions in market value. Also in June, Bud Light <a href="https://thehill.com/business/4050296-bud-light-falls-from-no-1-us-sales-spot-for-first-time-in-more-than-20-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost</a> its place as the best-selling beer in America to Modelo Especial. Anheuser-Busch’s overall U.S. revenue was down 10.5% in the 2nd quarter of 2023 (April-June) compared to the same period in 2022, and the company’s sales to U.S. retailers fell 14% by <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12369087/Anheuser-Busch-lost-staggering-395-MILLION-sales-plunged-14-year-Bud-Lights-partnership-transgender-influencer-Dylan-Mulvaney.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early August</a>. The company lost nearly $400 million <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/03/business/anheuser-busch-revenue-bud-light-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in revenue</a> during the 2nd quarter alone.
The 3rd quarter (July-September) of 2023 was even worse for the company, which reported a 13.5% drop in revenue per 100 liters, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/investing/bud-light-anheuser-busch-earnings/index.html">according</a> to CNN, while sales to American retailers decreased 17% in the same period.
In response to the backlash, the beer industry&#8217;s self-regulating body, the Beer Institute, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/one-year-later-how-bud-lights-dylan-mulvaney-fiasco-pushed-beer-industry-to-rewrite-its-ad-standards">revised</a> its ad standards and added new language regarding brewers&#8217; partnerships with social media influencers. Under the new standards, Mulvaney would not be an acceptable partner for a beer company because of the high percentage of his audience that is under the legal drinking age.
Prior to its Super Bowl LVIII ad campaign, Bud Light <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-budweiser-release-camo-harley-davidson-limited-edition-cans-as-sales-continue-to-plummet">released</a> patriotic-themed ads that emphasized the company&#8217;s American roots and even released camo and Harley Davidson cans to try to win back disgruntled consumers, to no avail. Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s CEO, Brendan Whitworth, was roundly criticized for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-ceo-breaks-long-silence-amid-dylan-mulvaney-pr-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a> he made two weeks after the controversy began that failed to make mention of Mulvaney, transgenderism — or offer an apology to offended customers.
It&#8217;s been a rough year for Bud Light, and despite the brand&#8217;s best efforts it hasn&#8217;t been able to recapture its old market share or mollify the anger of conservative customers. The Super Bowl weekend, instead of the nice boost in sales it usually represents, instead crowned nearly a year of financial disaster for Anheuser-Busch.
Bud Light has tried everything from celebrity cameos to pandering, nostalgia-laden commercials to practically giving away free beer, and it has so far failed to bring people back to what was once America&#8217;s favorite beer. Without a genuine redress of grievances from the executives at Bud Light, the brand may not see the end of this long, financially painful road in 2024.

The Sphere Arena displaying Super Bowl LVIII signage

Bud Light Was The Real Loser Of The Super Bowl — And 2023

Bud Light

Business

LGBT

Readers Pass

Social Issues

Super Bowl

U.S.

Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, is estimated to have lost over one billion dollars in sales after the brand faced boycotts from conservatives over its partnership with trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney.  
Anheuser-Busch’s organic revenue dropped $1.4 billion in North America last year, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/business/bud-light-boycott-ab-inbev-sales/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to company data reviewed by CNN. Much of this drop is believed to be related to the company&#8217;s disastrous marketing partnership with Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman. 
While the company posted strong returns around the world, the company explained that its growth “was constrained  by the performance of our US business,&#8221; according to a <a href="https://cdn.builder.io/o/assets%2F2e5c7fb020194c1a8ee80f743d0b923e%2Ff89b71d38e724014b04e717e021b0e26?alt=media&amp;token=59b398c4-487c-4a10-8a9f-bb79334d4960&amp;apiKey=2e5c7fb020194c1a8ee80f743d0b923e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> put out by the company on Thursday.
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&#8220;Revenue declined by 17.3% with sales-to-retailers (STRs) down by 12.1%, primarily due to the volume decline of Bud Light. Sales-to-wholesalers (STWs) declined by 16.1% as shipments lagged stronger depletions in December,&#8221; the report said of the company&#8217;s fourth quarter.
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Anheuser-Busch said that its American beer sales were picking up a little bit, but at a very slow pace. 
“The beer industry remained resilient in FY23, with volumes improving sequentially throughout the year and with beer gaining share of total alcohol by value in the off-premise, according to Circana. Our beer market share has seen continued gradual improvement since May through the end of December. While our mainstream beer revenues declined this year, our above core beer megabrands continued to grow,” the report said. 
Sales of Bud Light plummeted after Mulvaney partnered with the company last year and conservatives called for the company to apologize. The boycott rippled throughout the company as it laid off hundreds of employees and parted ways with top marketers. 
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While Bud Light dealt with the public outcry and a nationwide boycott over its partnership with Mulvaney, it was also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/one-year-later-how-bud-lights-dylan-mulvaney-fiasco-pushed-beer-industry-to-rewrite-its-ad-standards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">engaged</a> in a high-profile legal battle over whether the promotion of beer by Mulvaney — who often presents on social media as an entertainer for kids — was compliant with industry standards that ban marketing alcohol to minors.
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), both members of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote a letter on May 17, 2023, that sparked a <a href="https://www.beerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CCRB-Dylan-Mulvaney-Complaint-Packet-with-Decisions-7.18.23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">formal review</a> by the beer industry’s self-regulating body, the Beer Institute, into whether Bud Light was targeting minors through its ads with Mulvaney.
Soon the beer industry&#8217;s <a href="https://www.beerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Beer-Institute-Advertising-and-Marketing-Code-Updated-Sept2023.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Advertising and Marketing Code</a> was revised with new policies for social media influencers. The guidelines state that social media posts can only be placed where at least 73.8% of the audience is of legal drinking age — the same standard as for traditional advertisements — and that “age-gating measures” must be used if available.
Brent Scher contributed to this report.

30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards New York – Inside

Bud Light’s Parent Company Lost Over $1 Billion In Revenue After Dylan Mulvaney Partnership: Report

boycotts

Transgenders

Wokeness

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-responds-to-dylan-mulvaney-lashing-out-at-bud-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s</a> U.S. marketing chief Benoit Garbe will resign at the end of the year after the beer company&#8217;s sales disaster following its marketing campaign with trans-identifying male influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Garbe, who&#8217;s been in charge of the company&#8217;s U.S. portfolio of beers, canned cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages since 2021, &#8220;will be resigning at the end of the year in order to embark on a new chapter in his career,&#8221; Anheuser-Busch said in a statement, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/11/16/business/anheuser-buschs-marketing-chief-to-exit-after-dylan-mulvaney-fiasco/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a> reported.
&#8220;This week we announced key changes to our US leadership team that reduce layers within our organization and better enable our top commercial leaders to drive our business and legacy forward,&#8221; Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth told the Post.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Anheuser-Busch’s marketing chief to finally exit after Bud Light’s Dylan Mulvaney fiasco <a href="https://t.co/rmDenTZCd5">https://t.co/rmDenTZCd5</a> <a href="https://t.co/kYxRr3KUJ9">pic.twitter.com/kYxRr3KUJ9</a>
— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1725203183008440333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
&#8220;These senior leadership changes will accelerate our return to growth as we continue to focus on what we do best—brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter,&#8221; he added.
Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. Chief Commercial Officer Kyle Norrington will take over Garbe’s duties in the new year, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/15/business/anheuser-busch-cmo-resign-bud-light/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> reported.
Garbe&#8217;s departure follows the exits of Bud Light marketing VP <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-marketing-vp-takes-leave-of-absence-amid-dylan-mulvaney-controversy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alissa Heinerscheid</a> and group VP of Anheuser-Busch’s mainstream portfolio Daniel Blake, both of whom were placed on leave shortly after the controversy over the Mulvaney campaign began.
Earlier this year, the trans-identifying activist partnered with Bud Light to sell its beer and a huge backlash ensued against both him and the brand, resulting in a widespread boycott of the beer that sent sales crashing. Bud Light also <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/bud-light-loses-top-us-beer-spot-after-mulvaney-ad-boycott-2023-06-14/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fell</a> from the number one spot as the top-selling beer in America, a position it held for more than two decades.
Mulvaney recently lamented the &#8220;hate and vitriol&#8221; he had experienced over the partnership and suggested companies should forge true partnerships with trans-identified spokespersons rather than engaging in &#8220;performative&#8221; marketing catered to those groups, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dylan-mulvaney-envisions-trans-focused-bud-light-ad-room-for-all-of-us-beer-drinkers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;If you&#8217;re going to ask us to capitalize on our vulnerabilities and our traumas, at least have our backs when the going gets tough,&#8221; Mulvaney told Seth Matlins, managing director of the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/10/03/dylan-mulvaney-opens-up-about-bud-light-controversy-hiring-trans-people-should-not-be-political/?sh=36c12a108b42" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forbes</a> CMO Network, at the 2023 Forbes CMO Summit in Miami.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wapo-desperately-tries-to-spin-bud-lights-massive-plummet-in-sales" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WaPo Desperately Tries To Spin Bud Light&#8217;s Massive Plummet In Sales</a>

Dylan Mulvaney Bud Light

Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. Marketing Chief To Resign Following Dylan Mulvaney Disaster

LGBTQ. Dylan Mulvaney

News

Daily Wire host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-michael-knowles-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Knowles</a> praised the “enduring” conservative boycott against <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bud-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bud Light</a> during an appearance on GB News on Friday, saying that it showed a “wonderful glimmer of hope” in the battle against woke corporations. 
Knowles appeared with host Mark Dolan to discuss a wide range of topics, including the backlash to Bud Light after it partnered with trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Sales for the beer tanked, and it was dethroned by Modelo as the top-selling beer in America. 
“What we have learned through this unbelievably enduring boycott that has gone on from April until today with no end in sight is that this issue of the difference between men and women, of indoctrination in radical gender ideology, is a winner for conservatives,” Knowles said. 
Knowles pointed to the recent third quarter report from Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light&#8217;s parent company, showing that people are not going back to the beer. According to the report released this week, revenue for Anheuser-Busch was down 13.5%. The decline in sales <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/10/31/bud-light-earnings-dylan-mulvaney-transgender-promotion-backlash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was</a> “primarily due to the volume decline of Bud Light and impacted by shipment phasing ahead of our October price increase last year.”
Dolan also asked Knowles about Disney, which he said had released multiple woke films that have “bombed at the box office.” Dolan then pointed to Disney’s decision to postpone the release of its Snow White film, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-snow-white-delay-reportedly-comes-from-fears-it-will-be-a-financial-disaster-insider-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which reportedly</a> came due to fear that the film would be a “financial disaster.&#8221;
An “insider” <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12690259/disney-snow-white-rachel-zegler-delayed-woke-controversy.html">told</a> The Daily Mail that decision was based partly on backlash from online critics.
“They also have to remove themselves from the bad taste in the mouths of online critics and want to instead deliver a great film and get to a point where they get it right,” the insider said, pointing to backlash against the lead actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-snow-white-remake-will-update-classic-story-with-a-stronger-narrative-lead-actress-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Zegler</a>, who slammed the original story for having a “stalker” prince.
Knowles pointed to the launch of <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus-v3?utm_campaign=snow&amp;utm_medium=paid&amp;utm_source=googlesearch&amp;utm_content=na_subscriptions&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwkY2qBhBDEiwAoQXK5e6Wzs5KD6KX4uiyntRVBcSm1Wig50HOMZ7wGb0WIR3wf5XGbAWoTRoCsowQAvD_BwE&amp;_gl=1*dxfr1f*_ga*MTAyOTQwMzY1NS4xNjk4NzYyOTUy*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTY5OTEwOTQ5Ny4yNS4xLjE2OTkxMTAyMTcuNjAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bentkey</a>, The Daily Wire’s kids entertainment company, last month as a safe alternative to woke entertainment and Bentkey&#8217;s announcement of a film featuring Brett Cooper called “Snow White and the Evil Queen.”
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“If you don’t want your kids being in resentment and crazy ideologies then you&#8217;re going have to turn somewhere else. Daily Wire has just released Bentkey, that’s our children&#8217;s app,” Knowles said. 
The podcast host and author added that he thought that Disney CEO Bob Iger had gotten the “message” that the backlash to Bud Light had sent to corporate America. 
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="&#039;Transgenderism is a social contagion&#039; | Daily Wire&#039;s Michael Knowles speaks to Mark Dolan" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NLudltx-BXU?start=35&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Screen Shot 2023-11-04 at 10.12.55 AM

Michael Knowles Praises ‘Enduring’ Boycott Of Bud Light, Says Message Has Been Sent To Woke Corporations

Disney

Michael Knowles

Bud Light parent company <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/anheuser-busch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anheuser-Busch</a> announced in a Tuesday report that revenue in the U.S. was down 13.5% for the third quarter, continuing a trend in declining sales after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bud-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bud Light</a> partnered earlier this year with transgender-identifying influencer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dylan-mulvaney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dylan Mulvaney</a>. 
According to Anheuser-Busch, the decline in sales <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/10/31/bud-light-earnings-dylan-mulvaney-transgender-promotion-backlash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was</a> &#8220;primarily due to the volume decline of Bud Light and impacted by shipment phasing ahead of our October price increase last year.”
In addition to declining revenue, Anheuser-Busch <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/bud-light-parent-anheuser-busch-inbev-sales-tumble-further-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that sales volume in the third quarter declined 17.1% in North America. Despite the decline in sales volume and revenue in the U.S., Anheuser-Busch revenue did rise globally, increasing 5% to $15.6 billion. 
&#8220;Our mainstream portfolio delivered a mid-single-digit revenue increase as double-digit growth in South Africa, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic was partially offset by the revenue decline of Bud Light in the U.S.,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/bud-light-suffers-major-new-sales-blow-5520244?utm_source=newsnoe&amp;src_src=newsnoe&amp;utm_campaign=breaking-2023-11-01-2&amp;src_cmp=breaking-2023-11-01-2&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;est=ClaLvLFyKQWTsVOnou1n4Hu9CFnXwAimzO5GAQqQJSSKiwM8vyx%2B9hcnPFoPL2Fu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Anheuser-Busch said. &#8220;Our mainstream brands gained or maintained share of segment in the majority of our key markets, according to our estimates.&#8221;
The U.S. Neilson data compiled by Bump Williams Consulting shows that revenue is down almost 19% on the year and 29% in the four weeks ending October 21 compared to this time last year, according to Fortune. 
Sales of Bud Light plummeted following the partnership with Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman, as conservatives urged customers to avoid buying the beverage. Mulvaney has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dylan-mulvaney-envisions-trans-focused-bud-light-ad-room-for-all-of-us-beer-drinkers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> that he was abandoned by Bud Light following the backlash to the “March Madness” themed partnership
“If you’re going to ask us to capitalize on our vulnerabilities and our traumas, at least have our backs when the going gets tough,” Mulvaney told Seth Matlins, managing director of the Forbes CMO Network, at the 2023 Forbes CMO Summit in Miami.
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In the first week of the controversy, Bud Light sales decreased 11%, and its stock plunged 20% by the beginning of June. Sales drops persisted over the summer as the boycott kept going strong. 
Anheuser-Busch tried to soothe ruffled feathers with CEO Brendan Whitworth telling customers in mid-April, “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” and “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”

Anheuser-Busch Announces Job Cuts Amid Slumping Bud Light Sales

Anheuser-Busch Revenue Declines In Third Quarter As Bud Light Sales Continue To Fall

In March 2023, Bud Light had been the number 1 beer in the United States for over 20 years, dominating other well-known brands like Miller and Coors. Anheuser-Busch, which owns Bud Light along with a host of other popular beer brands, sold $2.73 billion worth of beer in the second quarter of 2022 alone.
Then, the iconic brand decided to partner with trans-identifying activist Dylan Mulvaney.
The social media influencer, infamous for a series of videos chronicling his transition called &#8220;Days of Girlhood,&#8221; showed off a can of the light beer with his face on it on April 1. A few days later, Bud Light confirmed that it had indeed signed a brand partnership deal with Mulvaney in an effort to “authentically connect with audiences.”
Bud Light tried to excuse the partnership as just one of dozens it maintains with influencers around the world and noted that the Mulvaney-themed can was not for sale to the general public, but the firestorm had already been unleashed.
Almost overnight, a beer brand widely regarded as a blue-collar American beverage became anathema among conservatives. Conservative music stars led the charge, with Kid Rock using Bud Light cans for target practice and John Rich barring the beverage from his bar. Soon, calls to boycott the light beer caught like wildfire on social media.
In the first week of the controversy, Bud Light sales <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/bud-light-sales-decline-dylan-mulvaney-transgender-boycott-1796451" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreased</a> 11%, and its stock <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/05/31/anheuser-busch-stock-enters-bear-territory-amid-anti-trans-bud-light-backlash/?sh=11c6283e1bfe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plunged</a> 20% by the beginning of June, losing Anheuser-Busch billions in market value. Sales drops only became more dramatic as summer began, with the company practically <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/06/27/bud-light-offers-fourth-of-july-rebate-beer-boycott-sales/70360008007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving away</a> cases of Bud for the 4th of July weekend. Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s overall U.S. revenue was down 10.5% in the second quarter of 2023 (April to June) compared to the same period in 2022, and the company&#8217;s sales to U.S. retailers fell 14% by <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12369087/Anheuser-Busch-lost-staggering-395-MILLION-sales-plunged-14-year-Bud-Lights-partnership-transgender-influencer-Dylan-Mulvaney.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early August</a>.
As the backlash grew, Mulvaney high-tailed it out of the country in mid-July, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dylan-mulvaney-flies-to-peru-to-feel-safe-participate-in-shaman-ceremonies-amid-bud-light-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking a trip</a> to Peru in order to, according to him, &#8220;feel safe.&#8221;
“I’ve seen a lot of llamas. The people here are so kind. I feel very safe here,” Mulvaney said on TikTok. “It’s a little sad that I had to leave my country to feel safe but that will get better eventually.”
In June, Bud Light <a href="https://thehill.com/business/4050296-bud-light-falls-from-no-1-us-sales-spot-for-first-time-in-more-than-20-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost</a> its place as America&#8217;s best-selling beer to the Mexican beer brand Modelo. Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s parent company, AB InBev, also owns Modelo, but the U.S. distribution rights are owned by the Chicago-based Constellation Brands as a result of an antitrust lawsuit in 2013.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/convicting-a-murderer#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Candace Owens&#8217; new documentary &#8216;Convicting a Murderer&#8217;</a></h4>
While AB InBev still controls 7 of the top 10 best-selling beers in the country, their flagship brand took a massive hit to its reputation and the company&#8217;s bottom line. It <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/19/dylan-mulvaney-bud-light-boycott">suffered a revenue loss</a> in its North American market of almost $400 million, and in July Anheuser-Busch announced it would lay off 2% of its American staff — about 350 people.
Trying to court back conservative buyers, Anheuser-Busch quickly tried to distance itself from contentious social issues.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth tried to downplay the controversy by assuring customers that “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” and that “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer” in a mid-April statement. Whitworth added that he spends a lot of time “listening to and learning from our customers, distributors, and others.” No hint of Dylan Mulvaney, transgenderism, or an apology to offended customers could be found in the statement.
On the day of Whitworth’s statement on the controversy, Budweiser <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/budweiser-patriotic-advert-bud-light-backlash-dylan-mulvaney-boycott-1794700" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a new ad titled “Heart of America” that was chocked full of patriotic imagery, including famous landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and the Grand Canyon. The narrator of the ad was sure to emphasize the company’s American roots and homespun character.
“Let me tell you a story about a beer rooted in the heart of America, found in a community where a handshake is a sure contract; brewed for those who found opportunity in challenge, and hope in tomorrow; raised by generations willing to sip, share, risk, remember. This is a story bigger than beer; this is the story of the American spirit.”
The company also released camo- and Harley Davidson-themed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-budweiser-release-camo-harley-davidson-limited-edition-cans-as-sales-continue-to-plummet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cans</a>, to little effect.
The boycott is still going strong. Modelo still edges out Bud Light for the title of American&#8217;s favorite beer. Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s stock may have <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/08/03/bud-light-market-share-stabilizing-after-transgender-saga-says-ab-inbev/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stabilized</a> — largely due to sales from its other brands — but Bud Light sales were down 27% for the four-week period ending in early September, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/09/15/bud-light-could-lose-retail-shelf-space-as-dylan-mulvaney-boycott-persists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Bump Williams Consulting. Even worse, industry sources <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/bud-light-set-lose-shelf-space-major-retailers/story?id=103165753" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC News that the brand is set to lose shelf space at major retailers like Walmart and 7-Eleven. Former Anheuser-Busch InBev executive Anson Frericks told the outlet that shelf space represents “the single largest determinant of sales in a store” and warned that the move could result in a &#8220;dramatic shift.&#8221;
The Bud Light boycott inspired similar boycotts over the summer, most notably one against Target after the retail giant unveiled a Pride Month collection that included LGBT-themed clothes and swimwear for kids.
Target&#8217;s second quarter sales for 2023 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-sales-sink-after-pride-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sank</a> 5.4% compared to the previous year — its first quarterly sales decline in six years — and the company lost billions in market value as its stock plunged. Unlike Anheuser-Busch, Target&#8217;s stock has not stabilized and is down roughly 30% since the backlash began.
The Bud Light controversy was not the first time that conservatives had tried to boycott a company over its attempts to push a Left-wing narrative in its advertising, but the sheer number of people who participated and how dramatically Bud Light&#8217;s sales plummeted make it unique. Additionally, the fact that such an iconic brand as Bud Light became entangled in one of the most hot-button issues in the country certainly contributed to how extensive the boycott became.
Bud Light&#8217;s sales are still floundering and its reputation is ruined among a large portion of the American people. While Bud Light suffered a massive hit, AB InBev&#8217;s overall losses are so relatively low because it <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/if-you-want-to-boycott-anheuser-busch-over-dylan-mulvaney-add-these-brands-to-your-no-buy-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">owns so many</a> other beer brands, unbeknownst to the general public.
Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s pivot toward more patriotic ads in the wake of the Dylan Mulvaney fiasco could indicate that it will back off from social justice virtue signaling. Whether this whole affair will introduce a chilling effect to other companies and cause them to think twice about wading into the culture wars is yet to be seen. But in an environment where more and more giant corporations are weighing in on political issues (almost always in favor of the Left), conservatives should be encouraged by the results of their battle against America&#8217;s former favorite brew.
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How Conservatives Pulled Off One Of The Most Successful Boycotts In U.S. History

Transgender

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/anheuser-busch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anheuser-Busch</a> heir Billy Busch slammed the company during an interview this week over the fallout that it has faced after it partnered with a highly controversial transgender influencer to promote the beer brand.
Busch appeared on Fox News with host Sean Hannity on Monday to discuss the fallout, which has included hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales and billions of dollars of market cap being lost.
&#8220;I think my family, my ancestors would have rolled over in their grave,&#8221; Busch said in a video that was played at the start of the segment. &#8220;They were very patriotic, they loved this country and what it stood for. They believe the transgender, gays, that sort of thing was all a very personal issue. They loved this country because it is a free country, and people are allowed to do what they want. But it was never meant to be on a beer can and never meant to be pushed in people&#8217;s faces.&#8221;
Busch said that his family never would have gotten this political with the company and that &#8220;it&#8217;s not wise for a beer company to get into that game.&#8221;
&#8220;They are paying the price,&#8221; Busch said of the company. &#8220;And I think the company greatly miscalculated what they thought was being inclusive, but it really was divisive. I think my family was, they live by the motto, &#8216;Making friends is our business.&#8217; And they believe that bringing people together, making it a sociable, fun, beer-drinking experience was the way to go. But you know, people that drink Bud Light, that drink beer, really don&#8217;t relate to that kind of advertising. And so it was it was a huge mistake.&#8221;
Busch said that the company needs to learn more about who its consumers are and needs to learn about America.
&#8220;This is a foreign company,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Learn what sells in America. Understand what the beer business is like and sell to those people in that way.&#8221;
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WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Anheuser-Busch heir makes stunning admission on Dylan Mulvaney controversy" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gmJqUSmZbd0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

In this photo illustration, the Bud Light beer bottle seen

Anheuser-Busch Heir Slams Company Over Transgender Controversy

LGBTQ

Anheuser-Busch InBev, whose sales have plummeted since April after their marketing campaign with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney for Bud Light hit a colossal nerve among conservatives, is laying off hundreds of employees.
Anheuser-Busch acknowledged roughly 380 workers — 2% of the 19,000 employees “across every corporate function”— will be released. In the month ending July 15, Bud Light&#8217;s U.S. sales nose-dived 26.5%.
“While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success,” Anheuser-Busch Chief Executive Brendan Whitworth <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anheuser-busch-bud-light-layoffs-dylan-mulvaney-kid-rock-ryan-young/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&amp;linkId=227215097" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do best — brewing great beer for everyone.”
Bars, restaurants, and retail stores have reported the thirst for Bud Light bottomed out in April after Mulvaney released a TikTok video showing the custom can while celebrating 365 days of “being a woman.”
In late June, Whitworth appeared Wednesday CBS “This Morning,” where he called the backlash “divisive.”
“I think the conversation surrounding Bud Light has moved away from beer and the conversation has become divisive,” Whitworth said. “Bud Light really doesn’t belong there; Bud Light should be about bringing people together.”
Asked what the intention of the company was in sending Mulvaney the can of beer emblazoned with his picture, Whitworth reiterated the company’s statement from early May, declaring, “It was a gift and it was one can.”
Then came the crucial question: co-host Tony Dokoupil asked, “Knowing what you know now if you go back, would you send a can to this one person again?”
“There’s a big social conversation taking place right now and big brands are right in the middle of it,” Whitworth replied. “And it’s not just our industry or Bud Light. It’s happening in retail, it’s 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.”
“Where are you on the issue? Was this a mistake?” Dokoupil pressed.
Again, Whitworth ducked the question.
“Bud Light has supported LGBTQ since 1998, so that’s 25 years,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And as we’ve said from the beginning, we’ll continue to support the communities and organizations that we’ve supported for decades. But as we move forward, we want to focus on what we do best, which is brewing great beer for everyone, listening to our consumers, being humble in listening to them, making sure we do right by our employees, take care and support our partners, and ultimately make an impact in the communities that we serve.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-ceo-asked-if-hed-send-can-to-mulvaney-again-he-refuses-to-answer">Anheuser-Busch CEO Asked If He’d Send Can To Mulvaney Again. He Refuses To Answer.</a>

Bud Light Boycott Continues After Company Partnered With Transgender Influencer

The Mulvaney Effect: Anheuser-Busch Laying Off Hundreds Of Employees

Jobs

Florida Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> instructed the State Board of Administration (SBA) to launch a inquiry of the global equity assets that it holds with Anheuser-Busch InBev following the fallout the company has faced after one of its top brands, Bud Light, engaged in paid marketing engagement with a controversial transgender influencer.
DeSantis sent a letter to SBA Interim Executive Director Lamar Taylor highlighting the nearly 30 percent loss in sales the company saw during the month of June. The SBA is an asset management organization <a href="https://oppaga.fl.gov/ProgramSummary/ProgramDetail?programNumber=4040">responsible</a> for investing Florida&#8217;s state and local government assets.
&#8220;As sales of AB InBev products within the U.S. continue to precipitously decline, reports are now emerging that large American mainstays like Costco will be pulling Bud Light from the shelves,&#8221; the 44-year-old Republican presidential candidate wrote. &#8220;Clearly, the Board&#8217;s mismanagement — as well as its failure to remediate the problem and repair its relationship with millions of disaffected American consumers — has led to this impasse and will continue to financially harm the SBA and other shareholders.&#8221;
DeSantis said it was critical that the SBA remain committed to its legal obligations to &#8220;prudently manage the funds of Florida&#8217;s hardworking law enforcement officers, teachers, firefighters, and first responders in a manner that focuses on growing returns, not subsidizing an ideological agenda through woke virtue signaling.&#8221;
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&#8220;I therefore request that you immediately initiate a review to examine how AB InBev&#8217;s conduct has impacted and continues to impact the value of SBA&#8217;s AB InBev holdings,&#8221; the governor said. &#8220;It appears to me that AB InBev may have breached legal duties owed to its shareholders, and that a shareholder action may be both appropriate and necessary. To protect SBA and the retirees of Florida from losses attributable to AB InBev&#8217;s disregard of those duties, all options are on the table.&#8221;
DeSantis joined Fox News host Jesse Watters on Thursday evening to make the announcement.
The governor said that the pension had $50 million invested in InBev stock and that the decline in value had hurt Florida&#8217;s teachers and other pensioners.
&#8220;We believe that when you take your eye off the ball like that, you&#8217;re not following your fiduciary duty to do the best you can for your shareholders,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So we&#8217;re going to be launching an inquiry about Bud Light and InBev. And it could be something that leads to a derivative lawsuit filed on behalf of the shareholders of the Florida pension fund. Because at the end of the day, there&#8217;s gotta be penalties for when you put business aside to focus on your social agenda at the expense of hard working people.&#8221;
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&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1682190368496836610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Republican Presidential Candidates Speak At The Family Leadership Summit in Iowa

DeSantis Instructs State Board Of Administration To Launch Inquiry Of Anheuser-Busch Assets

Economy

Florida

Ron DeSantis

Bud Light is even cheaper than water, at least at one Pennsylvania store.
The beer brand and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, have been stuck in a public relations nightmare since it struck an endorsement deal with Dylan Mulvaney, a flamboyant trans influencer who claims to be a woman. Mulvaney <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqgTftujqZc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=be47ac0a-7017-4d6d-a424-8dcf6d27a837" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVGDPlG42bU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> to his 1.8 million Instagram followers April 1, and sales of Bud Light promptly cratered.
“This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it,” Mulvaney said.
After beer drinkers abandoned Bud Light in droves, the company put two of the marketing execs behind the ill-advised idea on ice. But sales have not rebounded, even with prices marked down.
“At this point, it’s cheaper than some of the cases of water we’re selling in the back,” Andy Wagner, the manager of Glenn Miller’s Beer &amp; Soda Warehouse in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/29/business/bud-light-sales.html?searchResultPosition=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a>. “It’s just not moving like it used to.”
“It’s not that they stopped drinking beer,” he continued. “They just stopped buying Bud Light.”  He said Anheuser-Busch broke “bar rules,&#8221; which means “no politics, no religion.”
Bud Light was the best-selling beer in the United States for over 20 years. In 2022, its sales surpassed $5 billion, but it has now been surpassed by Modelo Especial. In the four weeks ending in mid-June, Bud Light sales plummeted an average of 29 percent from the same period in 2022, according to the consulting firm Bump Williams. Since early April, Anheuser-Busch’s stock has plunged over 15%.
The CEO of Bud Light&#8217;s parent company still wouldn’t admit putting Mulvaney&#8217;s picture on a can of beer was a mistake, despite the enormous backlash. Brendan Whitworth, a Marine Corps veteran and ex-CIA employee, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-ceo-asked-if-hed-send-can-to-mulvaney-again-he-refuses-to-answer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared on CBS</a> “This Morning,” where he called the backlash “divisive.”
“I think the conversation surrounding Bud Light has moved away from beer and the conversation has become divisive,” Whitworth said. “Bud Light really doesn’t belong there; Bud Light should be about bringing people together.”
Asked what the intention of the company was in sending Mulvaney the can of beer emblazoned with his picture, Whitworth reiterated the company’s statement from early May, declaring, “It was a gift and it was one can.”
Co-host Tony Dokoupil asked, “Knowing what you know now, if you go back, would you send a can to this one person again?”
“There’s a big social conversation taking place right now and big brands are right in the middle of it,” Whitworth replied. “And it’s not just our industry or Bud Light. It’s happening in retail, it’s 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.”
“Where are you on the issue? Was this a mistake?” Dokoupil pressed.
Again, Whitworth ducked the question.
“Bud Light has supported LGBTQ since 1998, so that’s 25 years,” he said. “And as we’ve said from the beginning, we’ll continue to support the communities and organizations that we’ve supported for decades. But as we move forward, we want to focus on what we do best, which is brewing great beer for everyone, listening to our consumers, being humble in listening to them, making sure we do right by our employees, take care and support our partners, and ultimately make an impact in the communities that we serve.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-ceo-asked-if-hed-send-can-to-mulvaney-again-he-refuses-to-answer">Anheuser-Busch CEO Asked If He’d Send Can To Mulvaney Again. He Refuses To Answer.</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/one-single-can-anheuser-busch-sends-letter-to-minimize-disastrous-mulvaney-backlash">‘One Single Can’: Anheuser-Busch Sends Letter To Minimize Disastrous Mulvaney Backlash</a>

Collage Maker-05-Jul-2023-10-16-AM-5834

Bud Light Now Cheaper Than Water Following Dylan Mulvaney Debacle

Drinking Water

Podcast giant <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-rogan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Rogan</a> said during a recent broadcast on his industry leading podcast that Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s Bud Light brand &#8220;can&#8217;t win&#8221; back the support that they once had because any action that they take is going to further offend a segment of drinkers.
Rogan made the remarks during an episode of &#8220;The Joe Rogan Experience&#8221; this week with comic and actor Tom Segura while talking about how people are making parody commercials of Bud Light.
&#8220;They&#8217;re making these like very subtle commercials that are like, &#8216;nothing goes with wieners like Bud Light,'&#8221; he said. &#8220;And it&#8217;s like two hot dogs. People are like, what is this? Is this real, is this parody account? And it is a parody. But it&#8217;s subtle.&#8221;
Rogan noted that the company has lost approximately $26 billion in market value since controversy erupted after Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a paid marketing engagement.
&#8220;And then the trans movement got mad that they didn&#8217;t support Dylan Mulvaney,&#8221; Rogan said. &#8220;So a lot of like, LBGTQ [sic] and whatever the other letters are, those bars stopped carrying Bud Light because they felt like Bud Light didn&#8217;t back them up.&#8221;
&#8220;And then there was video footage of [Bud Light] sponsoring a Pride parade,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;So it&#8217;s like a Bud Light parade truck with a bunch of people dancing around. Like, &#8216;we like to f*** guys, too.&#8217; And, &#8216;I&#8217;m a girl and I like to f*** girls.&#8217; Like it&#8217;s whatever it is. It&#8217;s like they&#8217;re like dancing around inside this. So they&#8217;re now advertising in front of the product people.&#8221;
Rogan then noted that the people who were angered over the Mulvaney issue saw Bud Light&#8217;s move with the Pride parade as the company doubling down.
&#8220;And so then the people are like, &#8216;they&#8217;re f***ing doubling down.&#8217; They can&#8217;t win,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So, the pride people are mad.&#8221;
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Rogan and Segura then briefly discussed how &#8220;weird&#8221; and &#8220;wild&#8221; it was that the LGBT community hijacked the word &#8220;pride.&#8221;
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2013 Syfy Upfront

Joe Rogan Gives Brutal Analysis Of Situation Facing Bud Light

Joe Rogan

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