Why Conservatives Are Throwing Bud Light Away

Transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney has partnered with Bud Light—and conservatives have been signaling their displeasure with over-the-top videos, including one from Kid Rock. "Grandpa's feeling a little frisky today," the singer said in a video he tweeted Monday night. He then fired a submachine gun at several cases of Bud Light. "F--- Bud Light and f--- Anheuser-Busch," he said. Others shared videos of themselves pouring the beer away or throwing full cans and bottles in the trash. More:

• How it started. Mulvaney shared a video on Instagram Saturday promoting Bud Light's March Madness contest, BuzzFeed reports. In the video, Mulvaney, dressed as Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's, drinks a Bud Light and says she is celebrating 365 days of womanhood. She also reveals that the brewery gave her a custom can with her face on it.

• Dylan who? The 26-year-old influencer and activist gained prominence in March last year, when she began to chronicle her transition in her "Days of Girlhood" series on TikTok, NBC reports. She now has more than 10 million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million on Instagram. Days before the Bud Light video, she announced a partnership with fashion design company Kate Spade.
• Anheuser-Busch responds. Asked about the backlash to what conservative critics called a "woke" campaign, the company said: "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."
• No more Buds for Travis Tritt. "I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider," country singer Travis Tritt tweeted Wednesday night. "I know many other artists who are doing the same." In response to a comment, he posted an infographic showing dozens of the company's products, including Rolling Rock and Stella Artois, Fox reports.
• What's next. Miles Klee at Rolling Stone notes that Anheuser Busch is a subsidiary of AB Inbev, which "happens to be the largest brewer in the world, with annual sales of around $50 billion," meaning small-scale boycotts will likely have little effect on its bottom line. Klee predicts that the memes, tweets, and boycott promises will probably last another 24 hours and "will be forgotten once there’s a sale on Bud Light at the liquor store."

(More Bud Light stories.)