Jon Stewart has taken aim at Bud Light over its U-turn on its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.
During Monday night’s episode of The Daily Show, Stewart criticized corporations for “financially exploiting” LGBTQ Pride month, hitting out at Target, Oreo, Skittles and Burger King for campaigns he deems performative.
He also slammed Bud Light for its response to the conservative boycott it faced last year.
Jon Stewart at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 2016, in New York City, and (inset) cans of Bud Light in Baltimore, Maryland, 2023. The comedian mocked the brand for it’s U-turn… Jon Stewart at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 2016, in New York City, and (inset) cans of Bud Light in Baltimore, Maryland, 2023. The comedian mocked the brand for it’s U-turn following last year’s conservative boycott.
Laura Cavanaugh/Rob Carr/FilmMagic/Getty Images Sport
The beer brand received backlash from its conservative customer base after sending a personalized crate of Bud Light to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April 2023. The 27-year-old became a TikTok star after documenting her transition on the platform, known as her 100 Days of Girlhood series.
Conservative celebrities, such as Travis Tritt and Kid Rock, condemned the brand and urged their fans to cancel the beverage, which Stewart described as a “Bud Light murder purge,” cutting to a clip of Kid Rock shooting a crate of the lager with an assault rifle.
“Those beers had families,” the 61-year-old joked.
As a result of the boycott, the share price of Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, declined. The brand issued an apology, which outraged LGBTQ activists, followed by an advertising campaign focusing on patriotism and Bud Light’s American origins.
The company was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1876, but it has been owned by Belgian manufacturer Anheuser-Busch InBev since 2008.
Poking fun at the ad campaign, Stewart joked: “That Budweiser horse that wants to restore our American spirit is actually owned by a Belgian-Brazilian beverage conglomerate.
“That all-American Clydesdale’s name is probably Jean-Luc Bolsonaro.”
However, the pivot appears to have done little to win back Bud Light’s customers. According to sales figures from May, the company has still not fully recovered from the boycott.
“Why are we allowing ourselves to get worked up over whether giant multi-national corporations are pro-gay, or have traditional American values,” Stewart said. “Because corporations have but one value, shareholder value.”
Newsweek reached out to Bud Light/Anheuser-Busch InBev for comment via email.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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