ADVERTISEMENT

Bud Light Sponsors All-Ages Drag Queen Party

June 7, 2023

Correction: Bud Light is not sponsoring the Flagstaff drag show. The event coordinator who listed the embattled beer company as a sponsor did so without its permission or knowledge. A revised poster was later published for the event without Bud Light listed. A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's parent company, said it was "mistakenly listed as a sponsor."

Bud Light will support an all-ages drag show this month in Arizona despite the conservative boycott of the brand over its sponsorship of a transgender influencer.

The June 17 event will take place in Flagstaff and lists Bud Light as a sponsor. The event, which features several drag performers, is open to "all ages" but requires a guardian for those under 16 years old.

The event's organizers said their mission is to "support, unite, and strengthen our LGBTQIA2S+ community,"

Bud Light's support for drag performances for all ages comes after months of turmoil following a partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

The partnership was first made public on April 1 when Mulvaney revealed it on social media, showing a Bud Light can featuring the influencer's face. Mulvaney also posted a video drinking Bud Light in a bathtub.

Conservatives boycotted the company after the partnership, and it faced an 18 percent fall in its stock price over two months.

Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's parent company, in April placed Bud Light's marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid on leave over the boycott. Heinerscheid received scrutiny amid the backlash after it was revealed that days before the collaboration with Mulvaney became public, she said on a podcast that she wanted to make Bud Light less "fratty" and "out of touch" and instead attempt to "attract young drinkers" with "inclusivity."

Bud Light and other Anheuser-Busch brands have run several ads trying to win back their conservative base, and the company pledged to spend extra on marketing this summer.

Republican senator Ted Cruz (Texas) launched a probe into the company last month over whether the company targeted an underage audience through its Mulvaney partnership.

Published under: Bud Light