The country music singer has riled conservative fans saying his new Nashville bar will serve every beer brand.
He told Billboard last week that his upcoming Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk will help Bud Light, which has faced a backlash from conservatives since it partnered with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
❤️GARTH BROOKS: “Diversity. Inclusiveness. That’s me. That’s always been me… diversity is the answer to our problems. If you come to our bar, come in with love.” @garthbrooks addresses the unhinged backlash to his NASHVILLE bar carrying Bud Light. This is leadership. pic.twitter.com/f6SSY9nZbC
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) June 13, 2023
The Controversy Surrounding Bud Light
Mulvaney shared an Instagram video in April showing a custom can of Bud Light with her face on it. The post prompted an uproar on the right, with some elected Republicans baselessly calling her a pedophile and other transphobic insults, while others called for a boycott of Bud Light.
Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch responded with a vague statement that failed to address the situation’s specifics or support Mulvaney or transgender people.
In the weeks following, several LGBTQ bars stopped serving Bud Light, and the Human Rights Campaign dropped the brewery off its top list of companies for their LGBTQ-inclusive workplace practices.
Even so, many hoped the backlash would cause Bud Light to reconsider its partnership with Mulvaney, who has been open about her transition from male to female.
Instead, Bud Light’s sales have cratered, its parent company has lost billions of dollars in stock value, and multiple marketing executives have resigned or been placed on leave.
Some musicians have joined the demonstrations of disdain for the beer, with Kid Rock filming himself shooting cases of Bud Light and Brantley Gilbert throwing a can of the beer onstage at his concerts.
The backlash against Bud Light has been intense and brutal, with several venues pledging to stop selling the beer and some public members destroying Bud Light stock in stores.
Anheuser-Busch has also seen its sales crater, and the company has suffered massive losses in stock value and revenue due to the backlash. Its stock has fallen to a six-year low, and the beer maker has reported losing market share.
Some conservative backlash against Bud Light has centered around a steakhouse owned by MAGA icon and former congressman Kid Rock in downtown Nashville.
Insider found that the restaurant removed Bud Light from its menu in early April after Mulvaney’s backlash began.
However, several other bars on Lower Broadway still serve the beer; some have continued to do so despite a boycott call from the MAGA movement.
