Embattled beer brand Bud Light had a torrid time of it last year when it chose transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote its products. Backlash from American buyers was swift and saw millions boycott the brand, leading to it losing its status as the country’s best-selling beer.
Now, however, it has changed tack, enlisting comedian Shane Gillis in a new partnership.
Gillis was fired from Saturday Night Live back in 2019 after a 2018 video of the comedian surfaced with him using racial and homophobic slurs.
“After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided he will not be joining SNL,” a spokesperson said at the time. “We want SNL to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired Shane on the strength of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition for SNL. We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. The language is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to standard.”
During an appearance on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, Gillis joked with his co-host Matt McClusker about why they dislike Chinese and Asian people, Asian food and Chinatown.
He also described stand-up Chris Gethard and director Judd Apatow as “white f*ggot comics”.
Bud Light has been on a mission to win back its middle American audience with marketing featuring former American Football stars Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith in the run up to the Super Bowl.
However, the reaction from drinkers to Gillis’ new gig was mixed. One wrote:
“Bud Light trying so hard not to be gay”.
While another wrote:
“Bud lights [sic] back now I guess”
Gillis’ Netflix special — Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs — was released last year and the comic is set to go on tour this year.
