Joe Rogan drank a Bud Light on his last show – while suggesting that the controversy over trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney was overblown.
Speaking at The Joe Rogan Experience Wednesday, Rogan said, “Why, if something is good, do you care who has it?”
“Like, would we do this with cheesecake?” he wondered, after the Mulvaney firm presented a special can with her face to mark the one-year anniversary of her transition from male to female.
Despite his laissez-faire attitude to the controversy, Rogan said he enjoyed a video shared by conservative singer Kid Rock.
It depicted the star shooting bullets through cans of Bud Light in response to the brand putting Mulvaney’s face on a can.
Rogan explained, “I like wild people. I like to blow hell up, man.’
He added that he disagreed with Kid Rock’s take on the controversy, which has wiped $6 billion from parent company Anheuser-Busch’s market cap.
The popular podcast drank from a can of Bud Light during his show while questioning whether it makes sense to boycott the beer because of its collaboration with transgender influencer Dylvan Mulvaney
In the wake of an explosion of controversy surrounding Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney, parent company Anheuser-Busch has seen its value plummet.
Many conservatives have vowed to boycott the drink, whose image is that of an all-American beer, often favored by working-class people.
Mulvaney became known for the ‘days of girlhood’ videos, in which the 26-year-old documented her first year of identifying as a girl.
In a bathtub, Mulvaney posted a photo of herself sipping Bud Light to promote the March Madness contest. The video also featured a custom Bud Light can featuring Mulvaney’s face, which was a one-off and not for sale to the general public.
Mulvaney, 26, has angered some feminists and conservatives for claiming she’s a “girl” and adopting parts of being a woman she finds interesting — without dealing with the misogyny or prejudice many women face .
Rogan said he thought it was “funny” that people were “super outraged” about the Bud Light partnership, given the many much more pressing issues happening across the country.
‘How did that happen?’ he asked. ‘I think it’s lame. Because I think that person is crazy. But if you want to hire a crazy person like, who gives as**t. It’s kind of hilarious.’
Rogan said he understood what the beer maker was doing by using “people who are popular” to market to different demographics. Mulvaney has over 10 million followers on TikTok.
While Rogan has sparked a series of controversies that have made him a darling among conservatives, he insists his own politics are progressive and LGBT-friendly.
He endorsed Socialist candidate Bernie Sanders for the 2020 Democratic nomination, which ultimately went to Joe Biden.
Alissa Heinerscheid, Budweiser’s vice president of marketing, previously sparked controversy by saying she had a mandate to update the brand’s “fratty” and “out-of-touch” image.
‘I am a business woman. I had a very clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and it was, ‘This brand is in decline, it’s been in decline for a long time, and if we don’t attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand there will be no future are for Bud Light,” she said in a video that has been heavily criticized.
“It’s like we need to develop this incredibly iconic brand and take it to the next level,” she added.
What does evolve and elevate mean? It means inclusiveness. It means shifting the tone. It means having a campaign that is truly inclusive and that feels lighter, brighter and different.
‘And appeals to both women and men’, she concludes in an interview on 30 March.
In early April, Mulvaney shared a video of herself in a bathtub sipping from a can of Bud Light to announce her new partnership with the brand.
The video started circulating and quickly sparked massive backlash over the brand’s partner choice
Some celebrities have spoken out against the brand, announcing that they will stop serving Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch products on their tours
The company has been hit by a flurry of complaints, with many customers filming themselves pouring out the liquid
In a statement following the initial backlash, the company attempted to reassure conservative consumers with a statement.
“Anheuser-Busch partners with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of the many ways we authentically connect with audiences across demographics and passion points.
“From time to time we produce unique commemorative tins for fans and for brand influencers, such as Dylan Mulvaney.
“This commemorative tin was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
Their doubling only infuriated the irate customers even more.
Onlookers are now criticizing the maneuver as a blatant publicity grab, amid the recent trend of companies “waking up” to improve their bottom line.
In the wake of the massive backlash, Mulvaney claimed her critics “don’t understand me.”
In an appearance on Rosie O’Donnell’s podcast, Mulvaney said, “The reason I think I’m such an… easy target is because I’m so new to this.
“I think it’s much harder to go after a trans woman who’s been doing this for like 20 years. I think maybe they think there’s a chance with me… But what’s their goal?
“These people don’t understand me and everything I do or say is somehow taken out of context and used against me. It’s so sad because everything I’m trying to put out is positive.
“It tries to connect with others who may not understand me. It’s to make people laugh or to make a child feel seen.”
Anheuser-Busch defended the gift in a statement, saying: “From time to time, we produce unique commemorative tins for fans and for brand influencers, such as Mulvaney. This commemorative tin was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale’
When approached by reporters in Hollywood, Mulvaney — who has made more than a million dollars from brands like Kate Spade, Crest and InstaCart — said she’s “thriving” and “doing great.”
Mulvaney, who was seen in Beverly Hills earlier this week, said she’s “blooming,” even as online pushback to her brand partnership continues to mount.
Dressed in the same Burberry skirt suit she was running errands in less than 48 hours earlier, the 26-year-old activist said on Tuesday she was unaffected by the fallout she now faces – happily claiming that ‘life is good’ .
When asked if she expects the recent turmoil to pass and if transgender influencers are “the future,” the TikTok star answered – about a week after her appearance as the beer brand’s ambassador – with a resounding “yes.”
On Sunday, the polarizing personality — who only became an internet star during the pandemic — was spotted picking up a prescription and an Amazon Prime pack in the posh LA suburb where she now lives.
