Joe Rogan Shares Insight: Bud Light's Potential for Recovery Amidst Backlash Discussed
Recently, Bud Light found itself at the receiving end of a heated backlash for its collaboration with transgender social media influencer, Dylan Mulvaney. Joe Rogan spilled some of his thoughts on the situation and weighed in on whether Bud Light has the potential to bounce back from the backlash it has faced since the collaboration.
According to Newsweek, the backlash began when Mulvaney shared a video on Instagram in which she revealed that Bud Light had sent her a commemorative can featuring her face. The gesture was intended to celebrate her first anniversary of transition, a milestone that she had shared with her followers through her viral video series, Days of Girlhood. This collaboration drew condemnation from various conservative figures, leading to calls for a boycott of Bud Light.
Conservative Texas GOP Representative, Dan Crenshaw and musician, Kid Rock were among those who openly criticized the brand. Kid Rock even took it a step further by posting a video of himself shooting at a stack of Bud Light cans, a gesture that was mirrored by model Bri Teresi. The negative sentiment surrounding the collaboration caused a significant uproar, with reports of plummeting sales and some Bud Light executives taking a leave of absence.
Joe Rogan, known for the conversations on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, probed into the ongoing attacks on Bud Light in a recent episode. Rogan, alongside comedians Shane Gillis, Mark Normand, and Ari Shaffir, shared their insights on the matter. During the discussion, Rogan mentioned that he had previously pondered ways in which Bud Light could turn the situation around, suggesting an idea involving the popular meme character Pepe the Frog.
"The most innocuous one I had was Pepe the Frog holding a Bud Light, and it says, 'Feels bad, man.' Just release that. People would be like, 'I'm listening. Where are you going with this?'" Rogan said. Pepe the Frog, a character that originated in an online cartoon in 2005, has since become a popular meme on social media platforms. However, the character was later co-opted by white supremacists in support of Donald Trump's candidacy for president, leading to its classification as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
While Rogan's guests speculated that the Bud Light controversy would eventually fade away, Rogan himself held a different perspective. He believed that the backlash faced by Bud Light would have a lasting impact and become a cultural reference point, unlike anything the brand has experienced before. "No, you guys are crazy," Rogan responded to his friends' speculations. "It's gonna hang in there for a long time. This is gonna be one of those cultural things. There's never been a brand that got hit like this before. This is a big deal."
Despite the negative attention, Rogan's guests expressed optimism that Bud Light would ultimately bounce back from the controversy. They speculated that the upcoming influx of companies showing support for LGBTQ Pride Month, which takes place every June, would likely shift the public's focus away from Bud Light. Rogan even suggested that hiring Chuck Norris or Kid Rock as a spokesperson could help the brand regain momentum.
In response to the backlash, Mulvaney shared, "What I'm struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel, I don't think that's right. You know, dehumanization has never fixed anything in history ever. I'm embarrassed to even tell you this, but I was nervous that you were going to start believing those things that they were saying about me since it is so loud. But I'm just gonna go ahead and trust that the people who know me and my heart won't listen to that noise."
