Two executives at Bud Light are on leave after a controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Anheuser-Busch has placed two Bud Light marketing executives on leave amid the fall out from the partnership.
In an email to The Wall Street Journal, the company revealed Daniel Blake, a marketing executive for Anheuser-Busch, had taken a leave of absence.
The move came after it was reported Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, was also on a leave of absence.
“Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support,” an Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman said in an email to the Journal.
The spokeswoman added, “Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence.”
The Journal reported, “The decision to take a leave wasn’t voluntary, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Earlier this month, Mulvaney shared the company sent commemorative cans to mark the celebration of the influencer’s “365 Days of Girlhood.”
Mulvaney also posted a video that was recorded in a bathtub, which was reportedly part of a campaign for the brand.
This isn’t a parody. Dylan Mulvaney is now the face of Bud Light. pic.twitter.com/cpygA74cG5
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 2, 2023
The campaign has led various celebrities to announce boycotts of the beer.
Several country music stars said they were done with Anheuser-Busch products.
There have also been reports of Budweiser facilities around the country receiving bomb threats in the wake of the Mulvaney campaign.
After the partnership was revealed, a video surfaced of Heinerscheid speaking on a podcast about how she had “a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light.'”
“It was, this brand is in decline, it’s been in decline for a really long time, and if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,” she continued, adding, “It means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different and appeals to women and to men.”
The Journal notes Anheuser-Busch “said that it will also adjust some of its marketing department functions to ensure senior staff are fully connected to decisions about brand activities.”
The brewer insisted the changes will “help us maintain focus on the things we do best: brewing great beer for all consumers, while always making a positive impact in our communities and on our country.”
