Howard Stern expressed his bewilderment and criticized singers Kid Rock and Travis Tritt for their outrage over transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney’s partnership with Bud Light during his SiriusXM radio show, “The Howard Stern Show.”
Stern shared his confusion over the backlash Mulvaney has received and questioned if there was something he was “missing” in the story.
“I thought there must be a piece of the story that I’m missing,” Stern said. “I’m not bothered by gay people or transsexual people. They don’t impact my life, they don’t hurt my life. I love when people are in love. You wanna be a woman? Be a woman. You wanna be a dude, be a dude. Be whatever you f—ing want. As long as you ain’t hurting anybody, I’m on your team.”
Mulvaney, a popular TikTok influencer with over 10 million followers, had shared a video featuring packs of Bud Light with her face printed on the cans, which sparked outrage from conservatives who claimed the beer brand was promoting “gender propaganda.”
In response, Kid Rock shared a video of himself using Bud Light cases for target practice, and Tritt announced that Anheuser-Busch products would no longer be on his tour hospitality rider.
Stern expressed his desire to speak with both Kid Rock and Tritt about their response, noting that he was “coming from a place of, ‘Why do you care so much?'”
He further stated that he didn’t understand why the marketing strategies of a beer company would bother Kid Rock to the extent of taking his gun and aiming at beer cans.
Kid Rock has a special message for Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch.#Budlight📷 #budlightboycott #budweiserhateswomen #InternationalAsexualityDay pic.twitter.com/dBk6FI24tf
— 🇺🇸 Pat's World 🇺🇸 (@itspatsworld) April 6, 2023
“Kid Rock, I know him. He’s got a great life. He transitioned from some kid in Michigan to a rock superstar! I’m really dumbfounded by why someone would care so much that they would blow up a can of Bud Light and say, ‘F— Anheuser-Busch.’ I don’t get it,” Stern said.
Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, stood by its decision to work with Mulvaney, stating that they work with influencers as a way to connect with audiences authentically.
They clarified that the commemorative can featuring Mulvaney’s image was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and not for sale to the general public.
However, the intense backlash has reportedly “spooked” Anheuser-Busch distributors in the South, where there were fewer orders over the past weekend, possibly in response to the Mulvaney partnership.
A report from Beer Business Daily noted that they reached out to several Anheuser-Busch distributors who were concerned, particularly in the Heartland and rural areas of the South.
The report speculated on whether the backlash would persist or if there would be offsetting demand from the ideological divide in metropolitan areas, and highlighted the challenge for Bud Light to appeal to a new generation of drinkers without offending some longtime customers.
Mulvaney is highly popular among Gen Z, a demographic that beer companies are eager to reach.
Mulvaney herself appeared to respond to her critics by sharing a video of herself singing “No One Is Alone” from the musical “Into the Woods.”
Stern’s comments on his show reflect a more progressive and accepting stance towards the LGBTQ+ community, expressing his support for individuals to be true to themselves and live as they choose without hurting others.
He questioned the intensity of the backlash from Kid Rock and Tritt, considering that Mulvaney’s partnership with Bud Light was a personal milestone for her and a marketing strategy by the beer company to connect with younger audiences.
The controversy surrounding the partnership has raised questions about the balance between appealing to diverse demographics and not alienating longtime customers, as well as the impact of social media influencers in shaping public opinion.
