Garth Brooks doubles down after Bud Light backlash: ‘I love diversity’

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Garth Brooks is facing the ire of fans angry with his support of Bud Light head on.

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After the beer brand came under fire for partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, the country superstar picked sides in a fight seemingly with no end when he announced his new Nashville bar will serve “every brand of beer.”

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“I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another,” Brooks told Billboard last week about his new establishment, Friends in Low Places.

Knowing that there is ongoing drama with many Americans and Bud Light after the beer brand tapped Mulvaney for a social media campaign, Brooks was quick to add that his new Nashville spot is going to “serve every brand of beer.”

“We just are. Our thing is this, if you are let into this house, love one another,” he said.

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“If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway.”

Brooks’ stance was met with support from many of his fans, with one proclaiming, “Y’all, we can keep loving Garth.”

“Garth Brooks has been singing about gay equality since the 1990s! We love him!” another fan added. “It’s no surprise he’s the best-selling musical artist of all time in America.”

Brooks’ colleagues in the country music scene have been divided over Budweiser’s partnership with Mulvaney, who showed off personalized cans emblazoned with her face in April.

Travis Tritt and Kid Rock announced they were boycotting the brand after Mulvaney, who documented her transition from male to female on TikTok thanks to her Day 365 of Girlhood video series, received several cases of Bud Light with the trans activist’s face printed on the side of the cans to celebrate her “womanhood.”

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“F*** Bud Light, and f*** Anheuser-Busch,” Rock said alongside a video of himself shooting up several cases of suds.

Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz also chided the Grammy winner by alluding to Brooks’ past accusations of infidelity.

“I’m sure glad we have Garth Brooks to tell us who is and isn’t an a**hole,” he tweeted. “Question, tho: Does it make someone an asshole if they cheat on their spouse, write a song about it with their paramour, and then publish the duet with THAT VERY paramour? Or does that make for a good person, righteous in their moral preening?”

But in an Inside Studio G livestream this week, Brooks stood by his decision.

“Everybody’s got their opinions. But inclusiveness is always going to be me,” Brooks said. “I think diversity is the answer to the problems that are here and the answer to the problems that are coming. So I love diversity. All inclusive, so all are welcome. I understand that might not be other people’s opinions, but that’s OK, man.”

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Brooks added, “So, here’s the deal, man, if you want to come to Friends in Low Places, come in. But come in with love, come in with tolerance, patience. Come in with an open mind, and it’s cool.”

Musician John Rich, of Big & Rich fame, who owns Redneck Riviera on Broadway in Nashville, spoke about his decision to stop selling Bud Light after the backlash against the brand.

“The customers aren’t going to order it,” Rich told Fox News. “I’m not going to stock it … I’ve got to put beer and whiskey and vodkas up here that people want to purchase and they want to support … And brother, I can tell you right now, it’s a vicious attitude toward Bud Light.”

After the Mulvaney partnership, Bud Light sales headed into free-fall with the suds brand being dethroned for the first time in 20 years as America’s best-selling beer by Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager.

Bud Light’s U.S. retail sales were down 24% the week ending June 3, while Modelo Especial sales were up 12%, according to Dave Williams, Bump Williams’ vice president of analytics and insights.

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Twitter: @markhdaniell

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