25 April 2023 , 20:30
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Without any context it might be strange to see an ageing country music star pick up a machine gun and spitefully obliterate a few crates of Bud Light.
But this bizarre video from Kid Rock was just one small part of a controversy that has divided America.
The rights of transgender people are at the centre of a culture war splitting the country and amplified by firebrand politicians looking for their own share of the limelight.
And managers at Anheuser-Busch, who make Bud Light, couldn't have imagined what a quagmire they were wading into when they partnered with social media star Dylan Mulvaney for a partnership.
Kid Rock wearing a MAGA hat as he machine guns crates of Bud Light (Kid Rock/Instagram)
Dylan Mulvaney with some Bud Light (dylanmulvaney / Instagram)It led to enraged 'anti-woke- activists smashing crates of the beer across the country, a nationwide boycott of the brand and Pamela Anderson's former husband Kid Rock sporting a MAGA cap as he shot round after round into some beer crates.
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Turning to the camera afterwards, the country musician said: "F--- Bud Light. And f--- Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day."
And it all started with a social media post.
The post that kicked it all off
The partnership between America's most popular beer brand and Dylan Mulvaney, who has more than 10.8 million followers on social media, hit the internet on April 1.
That’s when Ms Mulvaney posted a video on Instagram.
Dylan Mulvaney on the Red Carpet at MCC's Miscast 2023 (Broadway World/REX/Shutterstock)
The face that launched a countrywide boycott of Bud Light (AFP via Getty Images)It shows her cracking open a regular can of Bud Light, chatting about March Madness, promoting a Bud Light contest and saying that the brand had also sent her a special can with her face on it to celebrate the year anniversary of documenting her transition.
The internet star is known for her popular series on TikTok documenting her gender transition.
The backlash
The response from right wing figures was swift and brutal with the beer brand and the parent company Anheuser-Busch being slammed for supposedly turning to “woke” advertising.
Along with Kid Rock's video machine gunning beer, right wing politicians were keen to comment.
Kid Rock, wearing a Coors Light jacket, talking with Donald Trump (Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Ron DeSantis, the Republican Florida governor tipped for a Presidential run, suggested that Bud Light has lost his custom.
He said: "Why would you want to drink Bud Light? It's part of a larger thing where corporate America is trying to change our country.
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"I think pushback is in order across the board, including with Bud Light."
Mr DeSantis said he would be drinking Guinness instead.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waded into the debate (AP)A video of a US Air Force veteran pouring a can of Bud Light down the sink and calling for a boycott was widely shared and viewed over a million times.
Videos emerged of enraged beer drinkers backing their trucks over crates of Bud Light or pouring out their already bought tins.
Sales of Bud Light fell 17 per cent in the week ended April 15 compared to the same week in 2022, according to an analysis of Nielsen data compiled by Bump Williams Consulting and given to the Wall Street Journal.
Rival beers Coors Light and Miller Lite saw their market share grow by a similar amount.
Kid Rock has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump (Getty Images)But it's not just boycotts and rabble-rousing.
Several Anheuser-Busch facilities reported receiving threats last week, a company spokesperson confirmed.
“The safety of our employees is always our top priority,” the company spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “We worked quickly with local law enforcement to ensure the security of our people and our facilities.”
Los Angeles police department responded to a bomb threat and conducted a sweep of an Anheuser-Busch brewery in the West Coast city last week.
Anheuser-Busch's response
In the face of an alarming drop in beer sales and a devaluing of the company, Anheuser-Busch' couldn't sit back and do nothing.
In an open letter chief executive, Brendan Whitworth, wrote that the company was "founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago" and was "part of the fabric of this country."
Ms Mulvaney gained millions of followers documenting her transition (dylanmulvaney/Instagram)He went on: "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer. I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation."
Two executives who managed Bud Light’s sponsorship of Ms Mulvaney's Instagram posts have also been put on leave.
Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, and Daniel Blake, Anheuser-Busch’s vice president who oversees marketing for mainstream brands, were both put on leave.
it is yet to be seen if this will be enough to satisfy the enraged beer drinkers furious at seeing their favourite beer partner with a transgender woman.