Joe Rogan laughs at Bud Light controversy over TikTok star
- Bud Light got anti-trans backlash after partnering with Dylan Mulvaney
- Podcast host Joe Rogan laughed about people's anger over the collaboration
- Mulvaney says she's worried hateful comments will hurt other trans people
UFC announcer and podcaster Joe Rogan speaks at the weigh in before a UFC on FOX 5 event in Seattle, on Dec. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
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(NewsNation) — While Bud Light received backlash from pundits and celebrities after choosing to collaborate with popular trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, some have also been defending the beer brand — including Joe Rogan.
Cracking open a Bud Light with a guest, comedian Sam Tallent, on his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan said the entire controversy is “goofy.”
“Like — what they’re doing is just spreading the brand to an extra group of people. Why — if something is good, do you give a (expletive) who’s got it?” Rogan said.
Mulvaney recently shared a sponsored post with Bud Light promoting a March Madness contest it was doing.
“Just found out this had to do with sports and not just saying it’s a crazy month!” Mulvaney joked, in a video that also showed her with a Bud Light can sporting her image.
Mulvaney’s partnership with Anheuser-Busch led to some threatening to boycott the company. Kid Rock posted a video in which he shoots crates of the beer with an assault rifle, in a move that also inspired criticism of its own.
But Rogan had a different take, dismissing the issue with Tallent and saying there are more important matters to worry about.
“You gonna go to Coors?” said Rogan, according to Mediaite. “Don’t they all support like LBGTQ plus AI, whatever the hell else they’re attaching to it, issues?”
Mulvaney also spoke out about what happened on an episode of “iHeartPodcasts’ Onward With Rosie O’ Donnell.”
“The reason I think I’m an easy target is because I’m still new to this,” Mulvaney said Tuesday, according to NewsNation partner The Hill. “I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult.”
According to The Hill, Mulvaney said on Monday that she’s concerned that hateful statements shared about her by people with large followings will worsen real-world violence against trans people.
“The people that are talking about me on their podcast, I’m worried about their listeners,” she said. “It’s a heavy time, and it’s just time to step up, for sure.”
According to a website that tracks such legislation, there have been 492 anti-trans bills introduced across the country so far in 2023, with 422 labeled as “active.”