NBC's Ben Collins not happy Bud Light 'caved to the mob' canning Dylan Mulvaney promotion

Friday afternoon, after a couple of week of social media silence, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth put out a statement about Dylan Mulvaney’s appearance in Bud Light promotional material:

As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew.

We’re honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.

We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.

My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.

I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others.

Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation.

Brendan Whitworth

CEO, Anheuser-Busch

The reaction to the AB CEO’s statement didn’t seem to sit well with NBC News’ Ben Collins, who said Whitworth “caved to the mob”:

Bud Light caves to a mob that was shooting at and running over its product for giving a one-minute sponsored Instagram post to a trans person. pic.twitter.com/ZqWDGPM36z

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) April 14, 2023

News of the walkback surfaced Thursday when Rogan O’Handley, who publishes an online newsletter called DC Draino, tweeted that marketing for Bud Light had been “put on hold.” A week earlier, Mr. O’Handley asserted that sources at the company told him corporate executives were angry about the release of the Bud Light can with the influencer’s image.

He wrote: “It wasn’t posted on any [Anheuser-Busch/Bud Light] social medias [sic] & the leading theory is that a Leftist manager secretly did it on their own to push trans agenda. New PR statement expected. Possible lawsuit …”

What a cluster f**k for Anheiser Busch. They’ve actually probably managed to piss off both sides.

Caves, or puts out a press release that actually says/stands for nothing in the hopes of pissing off no one but probably pleases no one?

— Tal Kopan (@TalKopan) April 14, 2023

There’s no cave here, nor is there an apology or statement of course correction. It’s just a fact sheet of the company’s history and a small list of things the CEO cares about. https://t.co/JfsBqQkh51

— Vanessa (@Nessakins_) April 14, 2023

Fact check: TRUE.

A statement containing no actual content isn’t caving. Doing everything HRC tells you to under threat of an ESG score downgrade is caving https://t.co/LPqDAz9EeC

— Starless (@starless941) April 14, 2023

Yep, pretty much.

There was no mob.

What there was… Was consumers boycotting.

Unless you call every Left wing boycott a mob too? https://t.co/nOHHmZ5vdf

— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) April 14, 2023

But it’s “D”ifferent when the Left does the backlashing, or something.

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