Influencer Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light failed to support her amid transphobic backlash

Dylan Mulvaney has seemingly called Bud Light out for failing to support her amid the transphobic hate she’s faced, months after her partnership with the brand was announced.

The 26-year-old comedian, who is a transgender woman, shared a video to TikTok on Thursday to address her partnership with Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is the parent company of Bud Light. While she didn’t mention the company by name, her comments came months after trolls first criticised Bud Light for choosing her as their ambassador.

Mulvaney’s comments came after The CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, Brendan Whitworth, appeared on CBS Mornings and addressed the backlash that Bud Light is facing, as he said that the beer should be bringing people together. However, he declined to answer directly when asked whether the campaign featuring Mulvaney was a mistake.

In the TikTok video, Mulvaney recalled how backlash first sparked when she posted an Instagram video in April, seemingly referring to the clip of her drinking Bud Light while dressed up as Audrey Hepburn. She then specified how the sponsored clip for the brand led to more “bullying and transphobia than [she] could have ever imagined”.

“I should have made this video months ago, but I didn’t,” she said. “I was scared of more backlash, and I felt personally guilty for what transpired. So I patiently waited for things to get better, but surprise, they haven’t really.”

She then expressed that she was initially waiting for the brand to “reach out” to her before posting this video, but, according to Mulvaney, the company never did so. She went on to list how her mental health and everyday life have been negatively impacted by the transphobic backlash.

“For months now, I’ve been scared to leave my house. I have been ridiculed in public. I’ve been followed,” she said. “And I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. If this is my experience from a very privileged perspective, know that it is much, much worse for other trans people.”

While she went on to criticise the beer brand for not speaking out in support of her, amid the backlash.

“For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want,” she added.

Mulvaney continued to acknowledge how the “hate” towards the transgender people “doesn’t end with” her. “It has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community. And we’re customers, too. I know a lot of trans and queer people who love beer,” she continued.

The actor went on to express her disappointment in the brand for not speaking out about the ongoing, transphobic comments she’s received. She also hit back at viewers who may say that they don’t want to “get political” amid the backlash.

“To turn a blind eye and pretend everything is okay, it just isn’t an option right now. And you might say, ‘But Dylan, I don’t want to get political.’ Babe, supporting trans people, it shouldn’t be political. There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us,” she said.

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