Bud Light Defends Partnership With Trans TikTok Star Dylan Mulvaney

Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, is standing by Dylan Mulvaney.

Bud Light recently partnered with Mulvaney to promote the company’s March Madness contest on TikTok. Mulvaney has upwards of 10.8 million followers on TikTok and is currently considered one of the most popular and influential LGBTQ+ creators on the platform. In her video, Mulvaney appears dressed as Audrey Hepburn’s character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and identifies herself as a “Bud Light Partner.”

The video sparked backlash among conservatives who are passionate about Bud Light and felt irked by the brand aligning itself with a trans social media influencer. In a particular Instagram video, musician Kid Rock wore a MAGA hat and shot several cans of Bud Light to express his anger toward the brand’s new partnership with Mulvaney.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, however, Anheuser-Busch stood by its partnership with Mulvaney:

“Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics. From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”

Though Anheuser-Busch did not specifically address Kid Rock’s video, it seems clear that the company is standing by its decision to partner with LGBTQ+ celebrities and social media creators like Mulvaney.

Mulvaney’s Bud Light ad has over 1.4 million views on Instagram as of this writing – so the partnership has certainly been worth it for the brand.

Besides her work on social media, Mulvaney is an actress who’s previously appeared in Broadway productions of The Book of Mormon, Legally Blonde, and Bye Bye Birdie. Since publicly coming out, Mulvaney has been documenting her transition on TikTok and recently celebrated her “365 days of being a girl” in March 2023.

We love Dylan Mulvaney and are so happy to see that Bud Light is standing by our girl!