Howard Stern ‘dumbfounded’ by Kid Rock’s Bud Light protest

Howard Stern has said he is “stunned” by Kid Rock’s protest against Bud Light after trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney was revealed as his latest brand ambassador.

Shortly after Mulvaney’s announcement, a MAGA hat featuring Rock, 52, posted a video recording packs of Bud Light. The rocker has been joined by country stars Travis Tritt and John Rich to boycott the beer.

“I thought there must be a piece of this story that I’m missing,” the 69-year-old Stern said on Monday’s edition of his long-running show.

‘I’m not bothered by gays or transsexuals. They don’t affect my life, they don’t hurt my life. I love when people are in love. Do you want to be a woman? Be a woman. You want to be a dude, be a dude. Be whatever the hell you want. As long as you don’t hurt anyone, I’m on your team,” Stern added.

Mulvaney, who is known for her popular series on TikTok documenting her gender transition, first posted a sponsored Instagram reel on Saturday to coincide with the final days of the NCAA’s March Madness tournament.

In the video, Mulvaney cracks open a regular can of Bud Light, talks about March Madness, promotes a contest and says the brand also sent her a special can with her face on it to celebrate the anniversary of documenting her transition.

The Sirius XM host went on to say he wished he could invite Rock onto his show and ask him why he was so “upset” and “hurt” by the campaign.

Kid Rock, I know him. He has a great life. He went from a kid in Michigan to a rock superstar! I’m really amazed at why anyone cares so much that they blow up a can of Bud Light and say, “F – Anheuser-Busch.” I don’t get it,” Stern continued.

The host also pointed out that Rock is “flamboyant in his own way” and often appears on stage wearing a “feather boa, maybe a mink coat.”

“I feel Kid Rock, his songs are all about living life the way you want it: ‘I’ll do my thing man and f— you when you ain’t with me.'”

Then Stern started talking about another country star saying he’s boycotting Bud Light, Travis Tritt. The singer announced last week that he will get the beer from his rider.

Again, Stern said he’d like Tritt on his show to explain why he’s so upset about Mulvaney’s face adorning a Bud Light can.

Rock has featured heavily on Stern’s show over the years.

In a memorable exchange, Rock spoke of his pride in not living in Los Angeles, but rather spreading out across the country.

“There’s nothing so f*****g better than an airplane. These bastards who live in LA – I feel sorry for these assholes who I think have money. You got nothing, asshole.

With his big beautiful airplane, a double width in f*****g Nashville, a beautiful home in Michigan. I hunt in Alabama, I stay in Florida when it’s f*****g cold in Michigan’.

‘I have many problems. Money and penis are not part of that, “said the American Bad Ass singer.

That was the same interview in which Rock decided to announce that he was not running for the US Senate.

“F*** no, I’m not running for Senate. Are you joking?’ Trump’s supportive rocker told Stern.

The singer described his flirtation with election politics as “the worst advice I’ve ever given myself, but it’s the most creative thing I’ve ever done.” And I got to see everyone’s true colors.”

A section on Stern’s website refers to Rock as the “ultimate rock star.”

Earlier this year, Rock’s ex-wife, Pamela Anderson, said in an appearance on Stern’s show that she knew right away when the couple got married that they weren’t meant for each other.

They were married for a year between 2006 and 2007. In 2007, Rock told Stern that the media story that the couple broke up over her cameo in the film Borat, in which she is addressed by the eponymous character in the fake documentary, was false.

He said they broke up for various reasons, including financial and family problems.

Rock was also one of the performers at Stern’s 2000 birthday party, appearing on stage alongside his the late co-frontman Joe C.

In response to Mulvaney’s storm, Anheuser-Busch has defended the partnership with the influencer and stands behind its marketing team as well.

Anheuser-Busch partners with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across different demographics.

“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,” a press release continued.

Amid the backlash, a satirical website published a post claiming that Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Bud Light, had fired its entire marketing team responsible for the moves. Some social media users shared the information as if it were real and posted screenshots of the headline.

Anheuser-Busch confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday that it had not fired its marketing team in response to the Mulvaney sponsorship.

“There is no truth to that statement,” the company said, also stressing that the one-off can it sent to Mulvaney with her face on it is not available for wider release.

In the 1990s, Travis Tritt’s tours were sponsored by Budweiser.

Tritt covered this on Twitter last week. That was when Anheuser-Busch was in American hands. A great American company that later sold out to the Europeans and became unrecognizable to the American consumer. Such a pity.’

He seemed to be referring to Belgian company InBev and US company Anheuser-Busch who agreed to merge in 2008, with Budweiser as their flagship band.

He then took aim at Ru Paul’s Drag Race and Jack Daniels, posting a photo to his social media that read, “All Jack Daniels drinkers take note.”

PR experts previously told DailyMail.com that the decision to change their marketing so drastically was like “setting their loyal fan base on fire.”

Gareth Boyd, Marketing & PR Director at Forte Analytica, says that while he can understand where the decision came from, it’s “not the right way to go about it.”

Speaking to DailyMail.com, he said, “I really can’t understand their approach to this because their core audience just can’t relate to it.

“Cutting off your core audience in the hopes of attracting a completely new audience that hasn’t been exposed before doesn’t make sense.”

Meanwhile, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, defended the partnership with Mulvaney in an interview with podcast Make yourself at home saying the brand was at risk of being out of line because of its “fratty” reputation.

“I’m 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 get young drinkers to come and drink this brand , there will be no future for it,” she said.

While the Bud Light brand is on the decline, Heinerscheid says, it remains the flagship product of parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev.

The Belgian multinational, the world’s largest brewer, saw its profit rise above expectations in the last quarter of 2023 to more than 7 percent.

It reported last month that its core earnings — earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization — were $4.95 billion.

Heinerscheid previously worked as a marketing guru at AB InBev before taking over as vice president of Bud Light in July last year.

Her LinkedIn profile proudly states that she is the “first woman to lead the largest beer brand in the industry.”

Amid the backlash, a satirical website published a post claiming that Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Bud Light, had fired its entire marketing team responsible for the moves. Some social media users shared the information as if it were real and posted screenshots of the headline.

Anheuser-Busch confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday that it had not fired its marketing team in response to the Mulvaney sponsorship.

“There is no truth to that statement,” the company said, also stressing that the one-off can it sent to Mulvaney with her face on it is not available for wider release.