Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has broken her silence over her disastrous partnership with Bud Light, which has seen the company lose $27 billion in value since the backlash.
Mulvaney, 26, said she prefers not to name her critics “because it gives them the satisfaction of believing I’m thinking of them.”
“It shows my followers that I’m standing up for myself, but also emphasizes that their story is loud enough to matter,” she shared them magazine.
Mulvaney teamed up with the brewing giant as part of their March Madness campaign in April and was gifted a can of light beer, an image of her face.
The move immediately sparked outrage, and when Kid Rock opened fire on cans of Bud Light while wearing a MAGA hat, a boycott began, sending sales down more than 25 percent in recent months.
Dylan Mulvaney, 26, opened up to ‘them’ in a new interview with the magazine, saying she prefers not to name her critics ‘because it gives them the satisfaction of believing I’m thinking about them’
The transgender TikTok star has shrugged off criticism since she embarked on a disastrous partnership with Bud Light in April to celebrate ‘365 Days of Girlhood’
The 26-year-old said she wants to be known as “actress Dylan Mulvaney” or “comedian Dylan Mulvaney” rather than just a TikTok trans activist
Mulvaney spoke openly about the controversy for the first time, saying, “Regardless of your gender, people will project things onto you about who you should be. And I think we might as well tell people our real purpose.
“I think a big part of my goal could be to raise the voices of others. Right now the headlines are calling me “TikTok Trans Activist Dylan Mulvaney.” I want to be “actress Dylan Mulvaney.” I want to be “comedian Dylan Mulvaney.”
“I never expected people to follow me or experience so much negative media attention. I walk into a room and I never know if someone is going to really love me or really hate me.”
Mulvaney also claimed in the interview and on an Instagram post that she’s in her “age of authorship” — appearing to be teasing a potential book, adding, “I’ve been typing a lot in my backyard.”
The TikTok star has been shrugging off criticism ever since she received the personalized beer can to celebrate “365 Days of Girlhood.”
She stepped out last week for the opening night of musical ‘Transparant’ and seemed happy to enjoy a night of culture.
Mulvaney also received a gong for “internet influence” in the magazine’s 2023 Now Awards, describing her as a “role model for a rising generation.”
Since Mulvaney’s post went live on her Instagram on April 1, Bud Light’s owners, Anheuser-Busch, have tanked more than $27 billion in market capitalization and two of its top executives have taken a leave of absence.
Working with Bud Light as part of their March Madness campaign in April, Mulvaney was gifted a can of light beer with her face on it – sparking outrage
The trans influencer claimed in the interview and in an Instagram post that she’s in her “age of authorship” — appearing to tease a potential book, adding, “I’ve been typing a lot in my backyard.”
Vice President Alissa Heinerscheid resigned after the backlash that created the biggest corporate disaster in a decade — when Mainstream Brands Vice President Daniel Blake also resigned.
But their sudden departure seems premature after bosses said the decision to work with Mulvaney was made by an “outside agency with no management awareness or approval.”
When approached by DailyMail.com with claims she had no idea about the campaign, Heinerscheid declined to comment – but a friend said ‘she can’t talk about it, she can’t’, before being taken away.
The decision to partner with Mulvaney has seen sales of the beer consistently drop following the boycott, with the latest numbers for the week ending May 27 falling 23.9 percent compared to last year.
But they’re a slight improvement from last week, when sales fell 25.7 percent, as the company has seen a $27 billion drop in market shares.
Mulvaney was also given a gong for “Internet Influence” in “them” magazine’s 2023 Now Awards, describing her as a “role model for a rising generation”
The decision to partner with Mulvaney cost Bud Light owners, Anheuser-Busch, $27 billion in market cap, with sales falling to $25.7 billion.
Vice President Alissa Heinerscheid (left) stepped down after the backlash that created the biggest corporate disaster in a decade — as VP for Mainstream Brands, Daniel Blake, (right) also stepped down from his role.
With a drop of more than $27 billion from the company’s $134.55 billion value as of March 31, its market cap fell to $107.44 billion through the end of May, as tracked by Dow Jones Market Data Group. However, the company saw a small rebound on June 1
Bud Light also lost nearly 28 percent in year-over-year volume for the week ending May 27.
Experts say the shrinking decline in Bud Light sales could be a sign that the company has “bottomed out” and that it could be experiencing a “turnaround in performance,” according to Bumps Williams Consulting’s monthly industry report.
Anheuser-Busch said earlier this month it would triple its marketing spending in the US this summer to boost distressed sales.
The marketing decision appears to be one of the worst in US history to come from a backlash in advertising.
Only JC Penney has beaten Anheuser-Bush, seeing their shares plummet more than 25 percent in 2012 after they featured a lesbian couple and their daughter in an ad.
Kid Rock shot at a case of beer after discovering the collaboration, yelling “F*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser-Busch. Nice day’
They also hired Ellen DeGeneres as a spokesperson and eventually fired their then-CEO Ron Johnsons, who defended the move.
Michel Doukeris, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, downplayed the impact of the setback, saying that Bud Light sales declines in the first three weeks of April in the US represented only 1 percent of InBev’s global volumes.
“We believe we have the experience, resources and partners to manage this,” Doukeris said on a conference call with investors in May.
Bud Light has also risked losing its crown as king of American beers to Modelo Especial, which has seen sales skyrocket since the backlash.
Modelo was the number two beer in the US last year, with sales of $3.8 billion, compared to $4.8 billion for Bud Light, according to data from Bump Williams.