A former Anheuser-Busch executive is calling on Brendan Whitworth, the beer company’s U.S. chief executive officer, to step down from his position over his handling of Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Anson Frericks, who once was president of sales and distribution for Anheuser-Busch, wrote in a column published by The Daily Mail on July 1 that Whitworth “has clearly shown himself to be incapable of solving the Mulvaney crisis.”
“He’s had multiple chances and he’s failed,” Frericks wrote. “It’s time he did the right thing and stepped aside to make way for someone capable of righting the sinking Bud Light ship.”
The controversy surrounding Bud Light started in April after the company rolled out a personalized beer can featuring the face of Mulvaney. The marketing fiasco has cost Bud Light billions in sales and the beer company lost its top position in the U.S. beer market in May, dethroned by Modelo Especial.
“After all, the beer company’s decision to make trans-activist Dylan Mulvaney the face of Bud Light has cost a staggering $20 billion–and counting–in lost market cap value,” Frericks wrote.
Mulvaney
Frericks criticized Anheuser-Busch for giving a “weak and indecisive” response recently, following Mulvaney’s outcry slamming Bud Light for failing to provide support amid the backlash. Frericks added, “Mulvaney did something Whitworth should have had the wisdom to do weeks ago–cut ties.”
Mulvaney, in an Instagram video published on June 29, said, “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.”
In response to Mulvaney’s remarks, Anheuser-Busch 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,” without mentioning Mulvaney by name.
“As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best—brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers,” Anheuser-Busch added.
By Frank Fang
