Basketball icon Charles Barkley publicly slammed beer drinkers boycotting Bud Light over its association with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, using explicit language to decry what he perceived as intolerance. Barkley, known for his outspoken and often controversial demeanor, stated to a cheering crowd in a bar in Lake Tahoe, “All you rednecks or a–holes who don’t want to drink Bud Light — f–k y’all.”
In defiance of the backlash, Barkley taunted his critics by stating, “Hey, y’all can’t cancel me. If y’all fire me and give me all that money, I’m going to be playing golf every f–king day.” He continued his public display of support for Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney by encouraging the audience to drink the beer, saying, “I want y’all to drink this f–king beer. If you’re gay, bless you. If you’re trans, bless you. If you have a problem with that, f–k you!”
Barkley’s comments, while garnering cheers from the live audience, sparked a significant backlash on Twitter, further fueling the boycott movement against Bud Light. Social media users, responding to Barkley’s tirade, are doubling down on their vow to boycott Bud Light. As one Twitter user expressed, “Time to not buy Bud Light even harder,” while another posted, “F–k you too, Charlie.”
Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, has suffered significant financial losses due to the boycott. Data indicates a considerable decline in sales figures, with Bud Light sales plunging 28.5% for the week ended July 1, a marginal deterioration from the 27.9% decline the previous week.
Consumers posted videos and images showing supermarket shelves filled with cases of Bud Light being sold at significantly reduced prices. Rival brands like Model Especial have capitalized on this boycott, gaining market share at Bud Light’s expense.
The calls to boycott Bud Light began in early April following Mulvaney’s social media posts endorsing the beer, resulting in a backlash that has cost Anheuser-Busch up to $27 billion in market capitalization. This controversy threatens Bud Light’s status as the nation’s top beer, a position it has held for over two decades.
