Kid Rock concert-goers crush Bud Light's hopes of a July 4th comeback
Kid Rock concertgoers in Nashville sounded off on what beer they’re drinking – or not drinking – this Fourth of July amid Bud Light controversy.
Kid Rock recently weighed in on the viral video of him shooting Bud Light cans last year in protest of the beer company's woke initiatives.
The musician described his infamous protest during an episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast that aired Thursday, telling host Joe Rogan that it was simply him "having fun" and venting his anger at Bud Light.
"Man, I was just having fun, to be honest with you," Rock told the host, adding, "I was pissed, but it wasn’t like it was going to wreck my day, let alone my life. I was just kind of like, ‘What the f–k are they doing?'"
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Kid Rock recently described to podcast host Joe Rogan what was going on in his mind when he made the viral video of himself shooting cans of Bud Light last year. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Rock’s viral video, which involved him shooting multiple cases of the beer at an outdoor shooting range last April, was a response to Bud Light making biological male and transgender woman Dylan Mulvaney a brand spokesperson.
After ripping through the cans with his weapon, he turned to the camera and said, "f--- Bud Light and f--- Anheuser-Busch."
That month, Mulvaney prompted major backlash for the brand after sharing a video of Bud Light cans with her face on them and announcing the news of her partnership with the beer brand.
Bud Light’s consumer base, which consists mostly of conservatives, abandoned the brand and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, for months and cost the brand serious revenue. Last month, it was reported that Bud Light’s year over year revenue was still down nearly 30% almost a year after the partnership started.
Rock admitted to Rogan that his viral clip seemed to make him the "face" of this major backlash.
"Well, you were the straw that broke the camel’s back," Rogan told Rock, to which the artist admitted, "I became the face of it, yes. I’m not the pied piper. To sit around and think that people follow what Kid Rock does – I just became the face of it."
Rock made fun of himself, describing his actions in the video as "throwing a tantrum with a machine gun."
Mocking his own whining at the time, he said, "Wah, wah! They wanna let guys play in girls sports. Wah!"
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Rock claimed that he met Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth at a UFC event with former President Trump. (Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports)
The host remarked that that video was the death knell for the beer’s sales. "If there’s one moment that they look back on and f----- go, ‘S---!’ It’s that moment."
Rock explained that he’s recently become friends with Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth despite the drama.
"We’ve become friends," Rock said, with Rogan commenting, "he’s a good guy."
Rock agreed and then recalled meeting Whitworth while hanging out with former President Trump at a UFC event. "He’s a great guy. After five minutes of talking to him – I’m with Trump, there in Dana’s [White] green room. I go to Trump, I go, ‘See that dude behind me?’ I go, ‘That’s the CEO of Bud Light – er, of Anheuser-Busch.’ And Trump’s like, ‘You wanna go talk to him?’ which in my mind Trump said, ‘You wanna go f--- with him?’"
"And I’m like, ‘Yes. Absolutely,’" Rock added.
The star admitted that once they all started talking they had a "great conversation," and Rock found out Whitworth was a hunting enthusiast. He noted that during that conversation, he invited the CEO out to his place in Nashville, and Whitworth ended up visiting him.
"F----- we broke bread. Got f----- up on Bud Light. We f----- bowled. Did all this fun s---," he said, noting that he did not take up Whitworth’s offer for a corporate gig, though he said they still talk.
Rock still admitted that the company "f----- up."