"Sick of the trans community pretending they are black people": Candace Owens slams Dylan Mulvaney over Bud Light boycott scandal

Dylan Mulvaney, a social media influencer who identifies herself as a trans woman, came into the limelight after the reputed beer brand Bud Light recently put two of their top marketing executives on permanent “leaves of absence.”

Daniel Blake, Bud Light’s Group Vice President for Marketing, and Alissa Heinerscheid, the Marketing Vice President, who were hired from Anheuser-Busch (a limited liability company specializing in brewing and beverage packaging), were “gone gone” because they were closely involved in the Dylan Mulvaney debacle.

In April 2023, Dylan Mulvaney was featured in a Bud Light ad. The LGBTQ+ activist and TikTok influencer was seen promoting a personalized beer can showcasing her face as part of Bud Light’s March Madness commercial. However, soon after, the company faced severe backlash, and its products were temporarily boycotted, thus impacting sales to a large extent.

In fact, Mulvaney was seen sharing a video of her drinking beer from the said can, stating that the company sent it to her to commemorate “365 Days of Girlhood” (a year to coming out as a trans woman in public). Both Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch later claimed that “no one at a senior level was aware this was happening.”

Now, it seems that Bud Light allegedly removing two of its top marketing executives was directly related to the Dylan Mulvaney controversy. Moreover, it was the pressure from the wholesalers that made them take such a drastic step.

Amidst this ongoing Bud Light controversy, on Thursday, June 29, Dylan Mulvaney took to TikTok and other social media platforms like Twitter to say that Bud Light never really reached out to her when she endured harsh criticism online after she promoted its beer. Following this, Candace Owens, the conservative author, talk show host, political commentator, and activist, slammed Mulvaney over the Bud Light boycott scandal.

Candace Owens comments on Dylan Mulvaney's recent statements. (Image via Twitter/Candace Owens)

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“The hate doesn’t end with me”: Dylan Mulvaney shares on her recent TikTok video

Apart from being a TikTok influencer, Dylan Mulvaney is a comedian, actress, and social media advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. She has over 10 million followers on Tiktok and rose to fame in 2022 when her series Days of Girlhood, which revolved around her gender transition, became a sensation on the app.

On Thursday, she took to TikTok and later to Instagram to finally share her views on the Bud Light controversy. She began the clipping holding and glass of beer, drinking it, and saying:

“One thing I will not tolerate people saying about me is that I don’t like beer, because I love beer, and I always have.”

She went on to say that she had been feeling uncomfortable, like something is sitting on her chest for too long. Although it might seem like “old news,” she was finally ready to talk about it.

She explained how she took a brand deal with Bud Light (a company she loved) and then posted a sponsored video on her Instagram account. However, she was shocked to realize that the ad had blown out of proportion. She also sarcastically said that she hid the beer can with her face on so well that she was now unable to locate it. But when she does find it in the future, she plans to send it to a museum and “protect it with bullet-proof glass,” hinting at how people overreacted to it.

She further continued to say that she was bringing it up after so many months because for so long, she was “scared, scared of more backlash, and personally felt guilty” and lonely to address it. As such, she just “patiently waited for things to get better.”

“What transpired from that video was more bullying and transph*bia than I could have ever imagined.”

She added how she waited months for the company to reach out to her, but they didn’t. Moreover, she pointed out that if such was the case for her (being a celebrity), it would be “much much worse for other trans people.”

"For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want," she stood her ground.

The 26-year-old trans woman further explained her opinion on how:

“The hate doesn't end with me — it has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community and we're customers too,” she said in the video.

Dylan Mulvaney mentioned how supporting the LGBTQ+ community is much more than donating during Pride month. Rather, it’s making them feel safe and seen at all times.

"But to turn a blind eye and pretend everything is okay, it just isn't an option right now…supporting trans people shouldn't be political. There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us."

She wrapped up by saying that she loved all the good people out there and raising her hand to say:

“Cheers, but only if you’re of legal drinking age.”

Prior to this, a spokesperson from Anheuser-Busch told in a statement to the Business Insider on Wednesday:

"As we've said, we remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community."

Bud Light’s US CEO Brendan Whitworth also told CBS that the company would continue to support LGBTQ+ people and organizations, as it has done for the past two and half decades.

Over the last few months, conservatives have criticized both Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney, calling for their boycott, while LGBTQ+ supporters have demanded that the beer brand continues to stand with the community.