ST. LOUIS - Billy Busch, the heir to the Anheuser-Busch family fortune, made headlines last week in a TMZ interview saying that his family ancestors would 'have rolled over in their graves' about the Bud-Light controversy with Dylan Mulvaney.
Busch, who was previously scheduled to appear on KMOX in St. Louis to discuss his book, Family Reins: The Extraordinary Rise and Epic Fall of an American Dynasty, addressed those comments immediately during his appearance Wednesday. He didn't seem to try and track back from the comments.
Busch says that he believes that the Anheuser-Busch InBev decision to partner with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney will have long-term impact on the company, and the stigma of the situation, he believes, will be lasting.
"The typical Bud Light drinker doesn't want that kind of messaging," Busch told Total Information A.M., "They can't relate to that kind of advertising, so that's not what they want on their can."
Busch also thinks that it was a poor decision by InBev to 'try and push a political agenda' on to their consumer base.
"I don't think (the typical Bud Light drinker) even understands what is going on in the transgender world," Busch said, "It's such a political topic these days. There's a lot of political polarization in our country right now as we all now and to get involve in the politics is not good idea."
For months, Anheuser-Busch InBev has faced criticism and backlash after sending a commemorative Bud Light can to Mulvaney with her face on it, who posted it to her millions of social media followers, with many people boycotting the company due to the controversy.
Kid Rock was one of the most notable critics of the ad, with the country rock posting a video of shooting Bud Light cans in response to Mulvaney and Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch has felt the brunt of the boycott and criticism financially, with the company second quarter sales falling 10.5% compared to 2022, and the boycott has also dropped Bud Light from it perch of America's best selling beer for the first time in over two decades, with Bud Light now falling behind Mexican lager Modelo Especial, according to CBS News.