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American singer Brantley Gilbert left the internet divided after he smashed a Bud Light beer can on stage, days after the brand was slammed for its partnership with transgender actress Dylan Mulvaney. On April 15, the 38-year-old star was performing at a concert at Indian Mountain ATV Park in Piedmont, Alabama.
While he was performing Queen's Another One Bites the Dust, Gilbert was given a can of Bud Light, which prompted him to shout "f**k that." He then smashed the can on the stage floor before one of the attendees tossed him another brand of beer, which he accepted.
Gilbert, who has given up alcohol, gave the can to one of his bandmates, before saying:
“You ain’t got a hair on your a** if you don’t shotgun that son of a b—h.”
However, Brantley Gilbert's reaction had mixed responses from netizens, one of whom commented on the "irony" of the situation since the artists were performing British rock band Queen's song and Freddie Mercury was an LGBTQ+ icon.
Twitter reacts to Brantley Gilbert smashing Bud Light on stage
After Brantley Gilbert's move to smash Bud Light beer on stage during his concert in Alabama went viral, Twitterati was divided. Several users hailed the singer for openly boycotting Bud Light after trans actress Dylan Mulvaney was chosen to promote the brand.
Others called him a snowflake for getting offended by the beer brand just because it chose a trans activist to promote it.
The controversy surrounding Bud Light began on April 2 when 27-year-old Dylan Mulvaney was sent customized beer cans to celebrate her 365 days of womanhood.
However, soon after, several conservatives and right-wing personalities began openly boycotting the brand.
Singer Kid Rock took to his Instagram handle to share a video where he shot a couple of Bud Light beer cans placed on a table from afar. He was joined by country singer Travis Tritt, who also removed the brand from his tour's hospitality rider.
Other personalities who were not happy with Bud Light's decision were John Rich and Riley Green.
On April 13, The Daily Wire released an article stating that top executives from Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, did not know that Mulvaney was a partner in promoting the brand until the social media fiasco took place.
"No one at a senior level was aware this was happening."
According to the publication, marketing authorities at Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bud's parent company, have allegedly "paused" subsequent attempts to build a more "robust" screening mechanism for future campaigns. They also said that some "low-level marketing staffers" who supervise influencers believed it was unimportant.
According to an unnamed source cited by the Daily Wire,
"Obviously it was, and it’s a shame because they have a well-earned reputation for just being America’s beer — not a political company. It was a mistake."
Bud Light is not the only company to be slammed for choosing Dylan Mulvaney as its spokesperson. Nike and New York-based brand Kate Spade were also under fire for associating with the transgender activist.
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