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Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren waded into the Bud Light Fourth of July TV ad controversy that was labeled as "desperate" when released on Sunday.
Bud Light's new ad stars NFL player Travis Kelce following sustained backlash to a partnership earlier in the year with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The InBev-owned beer brand released a 15-second spot on YouTube featuring several men, including Kelce—a Kansas City Chiefs tight end—grunting as they sit down before one cracks open a Bud Light can.
At the time, Lahren tweeted in response to the ad: "The slow death of Bud Light continues and until someone over there FLAT OUT APOLOGIZES for the trans influencer endorsement, it's not gonna end."
She doubled down on her feelings by hitting out at the beer brand when asked about the ad on Fox News.
The "Outkick" host admitted that the ad was "great" but the damage has been done and could be irreparable: "That was a great ad but if they had not done what they did in late March, early April that would have been a great ad.
"But they are not acknowledging the problem so it really doesn't matter how many patriotic ads they put out, how many Budweiser sales they put out, how many American flags they wave and barbecues until they address the issue, this will not stop.
"It is so sad as there are so many great Americans who work for this company but until the head honchos who owns Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, InBev, until they do something this is not going to stop anytime soon, I promise you that."
The controversy began when Bud Light faced calls for a boycott after it sent a promotional can to Mulvaney to commemorate her first year of transitioning to being a woman.
Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, was accused of alienating its traditional customer base with the partnership, while some in the LGBTQ+ community have also slammed the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney.
Since that point, the brand has seen a consistent declines in sales compared to the same time in 2022, and some of the company's other brands, such as Budweiser and Busch Light, have also been impacted by the backlash.
The brewery has been criticized by some brand strategists for its response, with some saying they extended the controversy with a series of "knee-jerk" reactions.
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