When country music legend Garth Brooks weighed in on the Anheuser-Busch (BUD) turmoil, he was bound to get some reaction to his remarks.
The beer brand has been the subject of controversy ever since it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in a social media advertising campaign in early April.
DON'T MISS: Garth Brooks Answers Bud Light Fallout With 'Woke' Message
Critics of transgender advocacy erupted in anger, staging a massive boycott of Bud Light.
From a business perspective, the boycott has been successful, impacting its sales.
In fact, Bud Light sales have dropped by more than 20% each week since the one ending April 22. That adds up to six straight weeks of sustained decline.
The backlash against Anheuser-Busch's flagship brand has even allowed Constellation Brands' (STZ) beer Modelo Especial the opportunity to take over the number one spot in U.S. beer sales.
Garth Brooks Enters the Fray
Country music superstar Garth Brooks became a part of the discussion while making comments about a bar he plans to open soon in Nashville.
The bar will be named "Friends in Low Places Bar and Honky Tonk." Brooks has said it will serve all beer brands, ignoring any thought of leaving Bud Light out.
"Yes, we're going to serve every brand of beer. We just are," Brooks said in remarks to Billboard on May 7. "It's not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you're an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway."
"The goal is a classic honky-tonk that welcomes all and encourages love and kindness while playing the greatest music in the world in the home of country music," he said.
"I think diversity is the answer to the problems that are here and the answer to the problems that are coming," Brooks added. "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."
Actor Rob Schneider Reacts
Rob Schneider, the former Saturday Night Live star, movie actor and father of country music sensation Elle King, recently commented on Brooks' remarks.
"I think next time, he’s going to stay out of it. Isn’t he?" Schneider suggested, according to Whiskey Riff. "I think Garth Brooks, next time, is going to shut his mouth, and he’s going to pretend like 'I don’t have anything to do with what beer is chosen in my restaurant.'"
Schneider also offered his perspective on the cultural climate in the U.S.
"I think the culture is in a very weird little place of hypersensitivity one way or the other," he said. "And I think that’s why most people shut their mouths. I mean, just from a business standpoint, just shut up, say, 'I have nothing to do with it.'"
Others in the country music scene have given their points of view as well.
"If Garth is serving Bud Light in his bar, that's fine. Garth can do that. Garth might find out not many people are going to order it," said singer and songwriter John Rich, who also owns a Nashville bar.
"And at the end of the day, you have to put things in your establishment that people are going to purchase if you’re going to run a successful business," Rich continued. "So, he might find that out."
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