Bud Light Breaks Social Media Silence With Four-Letter Post After Backlash

Bud Light broke its social media silence that followed the backlash over its work with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, with a four-letter post on Friday.

On Friday, the company tweeted "TGIF?"—an abbreviation of "Thank God It's Friday?"—in its first social media post since April 2.

Prominent conservatives said they would boycott Bud Light, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch, after the brand sent Mulvaney a personalized Bud Light can to celebrate the first anniversary of the beginning of her transition. Mulvaney posted a clip of this to Instagram in early April, as part of her Day 365 Of Girlhood video series.

The dispute over transgender brand ambassadors is symbolic of a wider debate about the inclusion of transgender women in female issues and spaces. Some say transgender women should be treated the same as other women, while others say they are different and that hard-won women's rights must be protected.

Bud Light's latest Twitter post drew over 12,000 comments being posted in reply.

Stephen Miller, who was policy adviser to former President Donald Trump, tweeted on Friday: "Stop promoting transgender ideology."

Scott Walker, the Republican governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019, replied by promoting Miller Lite, a rival brand owned by Molson Coors. He said: "No thank you. It's Miller Time!"

Not everybody was critical. Rora, a Twitch streamer with nearly 22,000 Twitter followers, posting: "I was never into Bud Light but I think I am now." f

Also on Friday, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth released a statement, for the first time since the backlash began.

He said: "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.

"My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.

"I care deeply about this country, this company, our brand and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others."

The stock price of Molson Coors Beverage Co., which produces rival products to Bud Light, surged during the same period that Anheuser-Busch has faced calls for a boycott..

On March 31, one day before Mulvaney released her video, the company's stock was trading at $51.68 on the New York Stock Exchange. On April 14, it had risen to $55.97, an increase of 8.3 percent.

Mulvaney responded to backlash to her success against her during an appearance on a podcast hosted by comedian Rosie O'Donnell.

She said: "The reason I think I'm an easy target is because I'm still new to this. I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult.

"Maybe they think there's some sort of chance with me that they can—but I mean, what is their goal?"