Anheuser-Busch has lost more than $6 BILLION in market cap in just six days after Dylan Mulvaney partnership sparked backlash

Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch has lost more than $6 BILLION in market cap in just six days after Dylan Mulvaney partnership sparked backlash

• Bud Light’s parent company has lost more than $6billion in market capitalization since announcing its partnership with a transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney 
•  In the days leading up to the announcement, shares for the Belgium-based brewer had been trading around $66 – a high not seen since before the pandemic
• As the market closed Wednesday, the beer giant’s stock was trading at roughly $63, a more than 5 percent decrease in Anheuser-Busch’s total share value 

By ALEX HAMMER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 00:30 EDT, 13 April 2023 | UPDATED: 08:25 EDT, 13 April 2023

• Bud Light’s parent company has lost more than $6billion in market capitalization since announcing its partnership with a polarizing transgender internet personality.

Unveiled on April 2, the brand’s alliance with 26-year-old Dylan Mulvaney has since incited outrage and calls for a boycott – and now appears to be hitting Anheuser-Busch where it matters most: in the wallet.

In the days leading up to the announcement, shares for the Belgium-based brewer had been trading around $66 – a high not seen since before the pandemic.

As the market closed Wednesday, the beer giant’s stock was trading at roughly $63, a more than 5 percent decrease in Anheuser-Busch’s total share value – a concept more commonly known as ‘market capitalization.’

Currently at $125.73billion, the company’s market capitalization six days ago stood at $132.38 billion, as brass continue to stand by their deal with Mulvaney – an outspoken activist who has more than 10million followers on social media. 

Bud Light’s parent company has lost more than $6billion in market capitalization since announcing its partnership with a transgender influencer

Bud Light partners with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney

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Unveiled on April 2, the brand’s alliance with 26-year-old Dylan Mulvaney has since incited outrage and calls for a boycott – and now appears to be hitting Anheuser-Busch in the wallet

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The stark decline comes after Anheuser-Busch’s stock price enjoyed a brief uptick in the latter half of March, which itself came as a continuation of an ongoing slow climb back to $80-plus share prices the company boasted pre-March 2020. 

On March 20 of this year, shares were trading around $60 – a resistance marker it had been hovering around since January.

However, by March 31, its stock rose to $66.73, a peak not seen in three years.

Shares have since fizzled – with the drop coinciding almost to the day with the newly announced partnership between Mulvaney and Anheuser-Busch’s best-selling beer brand.

Also the best-selling beer in the count try, Bud Light began their partnership with Mulvaney by sending the influencer – whom began transitioning from male to female in 2021 – custom cans featuring her face and pro-LGBTQ language, to commemorate her being a woman for over a year. 

The gift – touted by the star in a series of partnered posts – kicked of the since-confirmed partnership, which was further established by a subsequent video featuring a naked Mulvaney.

Appearing before her 11million followers in a bathtub drinking a can of Bud Light, Mulvaney almost singlehandedly sparked the storm of backlash seen since, during which several have sworn off the swill completely in protest of the partnership. 

Detractors such as Kid Rock – who filmed himself shooting several cases of the best-selling beer in defiance – are now accusing the brand of pandering to the progressive left.

Some have taken credit for the recent drop in Anheuser-Busch’s value, while others have aired their disapproval of Mulvaney being the new face of the brand on social media.

Amid this outcry, Bud Light’s parent company was forced to issue a formal statement saying it supported Bud Light’s decision to work with Mulvaney, who ballooned to internet stardom with a series of videos documenting her becoming a woman.

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Mulvaney’s April 2 Instagram post included her drinking a beer with her face printed on the can and lying in a bathtub knocking back Bud

• Anheuser-Busch defended the gift in a statement, saying ‘From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale’

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‘Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics,’ the rep said in a statement shared with several outlets last week.

It added: ‘From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.’

Their doubling down, however, only served to enrage customers more – and likely played some part in Anheuser-Busch’s recent market woes, which for the most part began at the start of the month.

Incidentally, the first day of trading in April was April 3 – the day after the Mulvaney partnership was formally announced.

During a podcast appearance Tuesday, Mulvaney commented on the stark response seen since then, saying her critics are taking advantage of an easy target.

‘The reason that I think I am so … I’m an easy target is because I’m so new to this,’ Mulvaney told Rosie O’Donnelll on the famed comic’s podcast Onward with Rosie O’Donnell.

‘I think going after a trans woman that’s been doing this for like 20 years is a lot more difficult. I think maybe they think that there’s some sort of chance with me … But what is their goal?’ ‘

• When approached by reporters in Hollywood shortly before about the backlash, Mulvaney – who has earned more than a million dollars from brands like Kate Spade, Crest and InstaCart – said she is ‘thriving’ and ‘doing great’ 

These people, they don’t understand me and anything that I do or say then somehow gets taken out of context and is used against me and it’s so sad because everything I try to put out is positive. 

‘It’s trying to connect with others that maybe don’t understand me. It’s to make people laugh or to make a kid feel seen.’ 

Trans activist Dylan steps out amid heated Bud Light controversy

When approached by reporters in Hollywood shortly before about the backlash, Mulvaney – who has earned more than a million dollars from brands like Kate Spade, Crest and InstaCart – said she is ‘thriving’ and ‘doing great’.

When asked if she expects the recent unrest to pass and whether transgender influencers were ‘the future’, the TikTok star – roughly a week into her gig as the beer’s brand ambassador – replied with a resounding ‘yes’. 

DailyMail.com has reached out to Anheuser-Busch for comment.