Jon Stewart has taken aim at Bud Light over its U-turn on its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.
During Monday night's episode of The Daily Show, Stewart criticized corporations for "financially exploiting" LGBTQ Pride month, hitting out at Target, Oreo, Skittles and Burger King for campaigns he deems performative.
He also slammed Bud Light for its response to the conservative boycott it faced last year.
Newsweek reached out to Bud Light/Anheuser-Busch InBev Target, Oreo, Skittles, and Burger King for comment via email.
The beer brand received backlash from its conservative customer base after sending a personalized crate of Bud Light to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April 2023. The 27-year-old became a TikTok star after documenting her transition on the platform, known as her 100 Days of Girlhood series.
Conservative celebrities, such as Travis Tritt and Kid Rock, condemned the brand and urged their fans to cancel the beverage, which Stewart described as a "Bud Light murder purge," cutting to a clip of Kid Rock shooting a crate of the lager with an assault rifle.
"Dear God man, those beers had families," the 61-year-old joked.
As a result of the boycott, the share price of Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, declined. The brand issued an apology, which outraged LGBTQ+ activists.
The apology was followed by an advertising campaign focusing on Bud Light's U.S. origins and "the American spirit." It showed a Clydesdale—a breed of horse associated with the brand and often used in Budweiser promotions—galloping across a range of American towns and landscapes.
The company was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1876, but has been owned by Belgian manufacturer Anheuser-Busch InBev since 2008.
Poking fun at the ad campaign, Stewart joked: "That Budweiser horse that wants to restore our American spirit is actually owned by a Belgian-Brazilian beverage conglomerate.
"That all-American Clydesdale's name is probably Jean-Luc Bolsonaro."
"Why are we allowing ourselves to get worked up over whether giant multi-national corporations are pro-gay, or have traditional American values," Stewart added. "Because corporations have but one value, shareholder value."
In a statement issued as a result of the boycott, Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, said at the time, "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer."
"As the CEO of a company founded in America's heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew," Whitworth continued in the open letter posted to X, formerly Twitter.
"We have thousands of partners, millions of fans, and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere."
However, the pivot appears to have done little to win back Bud Light's customers. According to sales figures from May, the company has still not fully recovered from the boycott.
Update 06/11/24, 6:10 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include further information on the Bud Light boycott and Monday night's installment of The Daily Show.
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