"Brand Slapped Them In The Face": "Bar Rescue" Host On Bud Light Boycott

Jon Taffer of “Bar Rescue” said the boycott of Bud Light over its partnership 
with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman, is 
“forever,” noting that customers felt the brand has “slapped them in the 
face.”

During the Paramount host’s appearance Monday on Fox Business, host Stuart 
Varney said he’s surprised that the boycott against the beer brand “has 
lasted so long” — while Taffer said he wasn’t at all.

“Beer brands and people’s connection to their beer is an identifier of your 
personality, it’s a personal thing, almost emotional,” the American 
entrepreneur said. “People connect with these brands very heavily and in 
their view the brand slapped them in the face.”

	Jon Taffer joined us today to talk Bud Light!He also says small 
	businesses should look to the government for support.

	Taffer says BILLIONS are being left on the table! 
	pic.twitter.com/5QUtMdzhUk

	— Varney & Co. (@Varneyco) June 19, 2023

“It’s almost like a spouse disappointing you in some way,” he added. “It’s 
emotional. Stores have reduced shelf space for the brand, Stuart. 
Distributors have a reduced warehouse space. They’ve reduced order numbers.”

“This is not disappearing any time soon,” Taffer continued, noting all the 
“distribution mechanisms around Bud Light have all been reduced to adjust to 
current levels. It’s forever.”

Taffer, who’s best known for his TV show rescuing struggling bars, was asked 
his advice on how Anheuser-Busch could possibly rescue itself from the 
boycott and falling market shares.

“I think that they need to go back to being a great American brand,” the TV 
host said. “And I think they need to stand for American values, which is what 
they did all these years.”

Taffer said that at the end of prohibition, it was Budweiser’s famed 
clydesdale horses that delivered the first keg to the White House, and said 
that he thinks “they need to go back to those kind of roots.”

On Friday, Anheuser-Busch released a statement in response to the backlash 
against its Bud Light brand and said that it hears the customer — but did not 
offer an apology.

“Our summer advertising launches next week, and you can look forward to Bud 
Light reinforcing what you’ve always loved about our brand – that it’s easy 
to drink and easy to enjoy,” Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said. “As 
we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer and 
earning our place in moments that matter to you.”

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Let's go Brandon!