Did Bud Light Fire Its Marketing Vice President? What We Know

Anheuser-Busch's announcement of a marketing shakeup has prompted some to claim that conservative rage over Bud Light sponsoring a social media post from transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney led to an executive being fired.

The brewing giant announced on Friday that Vice President of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid had taken a "leave of absence," according to Ad Age. She will be replaced by Todd Allen, vice president of global marketing for Budweiser.

Although it was unclear when or in what capacity Heinerscheid might return to the company, a leave of absence does not indicate that she was fired.

In a statement emailed to Newsweek, a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch said the company would "streamline the structure of our marketing function" to keep senior marketers "more closely connected to every aspect of our brand's activities."

The spokesperson added that the move would "help us maintain focus on the things we do best: brewing great beer for all consumers, while always making a positive impact in our communities and on our country."

Heinerscheid, who joined the company in July, has faced calls to be fired and repeated attacks from conservatives since the controversy surrounding Mulvaney erupted.

A video clip showing Heinerscheid speaking about the need to "elevate" the "out of touch" Bud Light brand and highlight "inclusivity" shortly before the sponsored Mulvaney post provoked particular outrage.

Despite Anheuser-Busch not having announced that Heinerscheid left the company permanently, her leave of absence was followed by celebratory social media posts from anti-trans conservatives who suggested that she had been fired and claimed Bud Light had been taught a "lesson."

"Bud Light waves the white flag, ousting disastrous VP of Mktg, weeks after destroying its own brand by going woke on gender," former Fox News host Megyn Kelly tweeted. "Let that be a lesson to other corporations. We've HAD IT."

"The Bud Light executive who came up with the Dylan Mulvaney campaign is now gone from the company," tweeted anti-trans activist and self-described "theocratic fascist" Matt Walsh. "I told you this boycott was working. We got actual results. A victory for Team Sanity."

"Fired. Bud Light VP Alissa Heinerscheid got canned for her woke cans," @PollyGirl87 tweeted. "She'll have lots of free time to get FRATTY with her separated-at-birth twin bro Lia Thomas #BudLight #GoWokeGoBroke."

Initial calls for conservatives to boycott Bud Light came this month after the brand sponsored an Instagram post from Mulvaney, displaying a personalized beer can to mark the one-year anniversary of her transition.

In a statement, Anheuser-Busch said that it worked with "hundreds of influencers" on sponsored posts across "various demographics." Regardless, the single sponsored post from a trans woman was enough to spark the boycott call and sustained outrage from conservatives.

The Mulvaney backlash came while a significant number of Republican lawmakers appear to be fixated on transgender issues, pushing a series of anti-trans bills in state legislatures across the country.

Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement last week saying that the company "never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people" and would "continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation."

This week, Anheuser-Busch was also hit with race-based conservative backlash when a group led by Stephen Miller, ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump, announced that it was filing a federal civil rights complaint, alleging discrimination against white people.

Update 4/24/23, 4:12 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a statement from Anheuser-Busch.