Kid Rock has sparked outrage on social media after posting a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light beer in protest against the company's collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Mulvaney, who gained fame on TikTok for her Day 365 Of Girlhood video series, was sent a personalized can of Bud Light with her face on it to commemorate a year since she began her gender transition.
However, the partnership has drawn criticism from bigoted social media users, who have called for a boycott of the brand and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch.
An Instagram post showcasing Mulvaney sponsoring Budweiser products can be seen below.
In the video, which has been viewed more than 2.3 million times on Twitter and over 213,000 times on Instagram, Kid Rock—whose real name is Robert James Ritchie—can be seen holding an assault rifle and shooting at cases of Bud Light until they burst open and liquid poured out of them.
He then turned to the camera and raised his middle finger, shouting,
"F**k Bud Light and f**k Anheuser-Busch."
You can see Kid Rock's video below.
\u201chttps://t.co/dSmCGySoul\u201d— KidRock (@KidRock) 1680578229
Anheuser-Busch has defended its collaboration with Mulvaney, stating that the personalized can was sent as a "gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public."
The company also said that it works with "hundreds of influencers" across its brands "as one of many ways to connect with audiences across various demographics."
Many have criticized Kid Rock's childish, violent reaction and his video was immediately called out for transphobia.
\u201c@KidRock Cry some more, Proud Boy\u201d— KidRock (@KidRock) 1680578229
\u201c@KidRock Robbie, you already gave them your money when you bought the beer, hon. They don't care what you do with it after that. They have your money. This is just wasteful on your part, they don't really care if you shoot up the beer you bought, from them.\u201d— KidRock (@KidRock) 1680578229
\u201c@KidRock You are supposed to drink beer not shoot it. Relax dude. Why so angry? Why are y\u2019all triggered by trans folks? Do you know trans people drink beer too? Are you aware irresponsible actions like this glorify gun violence? Find love in your heart for all.\u201d— KidRock (@KidRock) 1680578229
\u201c@KidRock We get it. Kid Rock hates trans people. \n\nWhat a stud. So inspirational.\u201d— KidRock (@KidRock) 1680578229
\u201c@KidRock Reported for threatening violence. You should be arrested.\u201d— KidRock (@KidRock) 1680578229
\u201c@KidRock Therapy helps you get in touch with all these emotions you don\u2019t quite know how to handle. It allows you to be more compassionate with yourself and others \u2014 to use your words, not violence or intimidation. Trans people haven\u2019t done anything to you, homie. They just want to live.\u201d— KidRock (@KidRock) 1680578229
Mulvaney has recently entered into a second partnership with Bud Light, following her collaboration with women's fashion company Kate Spade, which she announced within a week.
According to Assil Dayri, a social media expert and founder of AMD Consulting Group, Mulvaney earns $75,000 for each endorsement deal she signs, which can double when the posts are made on Instagram.
Mulvaney, who is represented by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Los Angeles, is estimated to earn as much as $1 million per year from these deals.
In addition to this, the University of Pittsburgh reportedly paid $26,250 for a speaking appearance by Mulvaney this month, according to the campus newspaper.
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