Dylan Mulvaney Breaks Silence on Bud Light Backlash, Says She Was Waiting for Anheuser-Busch to Reach Out: ‘They Never Did’ (Video)
Dylan Mulvaney says that Anheuser-Busch never contacted her after the enormous backlash against her endorsement of the brand, which brought her death threats and also saw sales of Bud Light plummet.
“I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me but they never did,” she said in a video shared to Instagram on Thursday. “And for months now I’ve been scared to leave my house. I have been ridiculed in public. I’ve been followed. And I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
In response, an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told TheWrap, “We remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers.”
Mulvaney explained that she was waiting for “things to get better” before she mentioned how the brand failed to support her during the controversy. “I’m bringing it up because what transpired from that video was more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined. And I should have made this video months ago but I didn’t and I was scared,” she said.
“For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all. Because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want. And the hate doesn’t end with me it has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community… To turn a blind eye and pretend everything is okay, it just isn’t an option right now,” she said.
Ellen DeGeneres commented on Mulvaney’s video, “We still have a long way to go, but things will get better, and they’ll get better because of you.” The Trevor Project responded, “We love you… You are creating a safer world for LGBTQ young people.”