Florida Restaurant Owner Says Bud Light Campaign Caused 'Hell on Earth'

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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A Florida restaurant owner told Fox News that Bud Light's sponsorship deal with trans influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney was "hell on Earth," saying that the brand's decision was "dropped" on people with different values without much consideration.

"It's been a terrible week, it's been actually a couple of weeks now, probably the most difficult two weeks we have experienced in our life in this industry," Joe Penovich, the owner of Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar told Fox Business.

"Anheuser-Busch—they held a social knife over all of our heads here and they dropped it very irresponsibly. It threw us into turmoil by standing over our biblical faith, it put us at odds with other people who didn't take that stance. And that brought us into hell on Earth."

Penovich, who wrote Bud Light's parent company Anheuser-Busch an open letter on Facebook accusing the company of "causing this division and anger in our society," said that he was taking Bud Light and Bud off his shelves.

Bud Light
A Bud Light neon sign hangs in the window of a store in New York. A Florida restaurant owner told Fox News that Bud Light's sponsorship deal with trans influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney was... Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Bud Light's partnership with Mulvaney sparked a massive conservative backlash among disgruntled customers who protested the beer brand's choice, saying it didn't represent their values and complaining about the company going "woke," as in the words of Kari Lake.

On April 2, Mulvaney posted a video to her 1.7 million Instagram followers explaining that Bud Light had sent her a personalized can with her face on it to commemorate 365 days of being a woman.

A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's parent company, told Newsweek on April 3 that the company "works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics."

Mulvaney obtained a mass following on TikTok documenting her transition in her series "365 Days of Girlhood" and was among a group of young activists invited to the White House to meet President Joe Biden last year.

Her popularity has made her a target of conservative anger and hate. Mulvaney's fame has meant sponsorship deals with big brands.

Bud Light's sponsorship deal with Mulvaney is so far the one that has sparked the most outrage among critics, with many conservative customers calling for a boycott of the brand. Recent news that the beer brand's revenues have dropped by 17 percent since the beginning of the backlash has caused critics to rejoice and assume that the boycott is working.

For days, Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's parent company, didn't intervene in the controversy. But on April 14, Brendan Whitworth, the brewing company's CEO, issued an official statement, saying: "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer."

Newsweek contacted Anheuser-Busch for comment by email.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more