A former Anheuser-Busch executive who has given frequent interviews on the Bud Light controversy said that Disney is now making a similar mistake after partnering with a self-described “gender fluid” influencer.
“They are making the same mistake as Bud Light, and I think they’ve been making the same mistake as Bud Light for over a year now,” former executive Anson Frericks told Fox News on Friday. Disney, he added, is “making a big mistake getting involved in these controversial political issues that have nothing to do with the mission statement of what they’re trying to achieve.”
It came after the entertainment and media giant announced it would team up with Seann Altman, a biological male who says he is “gender fluid,” to market girls’ clothing on social media. A TikTok video shows the influencer dressed in a Minnie Mouse-style outfit that includes a red dress.
“I look just like Minnie Mouse!” Mr. Altman stated in the video. “But something’s missing,” he said, adding a red bow to his hair.
Bud Light, meanwhile, has been in the throes of controversy since early April when it produced advertising materials for a transgender TikTok influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, sparking an immediate backlash. Sales for the light beer brand have been down for about 17 consecutive weeks ending in late July, recent data show.
Disney has also faced boycott calls—namely after its executives last year publicly criticized a Florida law backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that prohibited teachers from instructing young schoolchildren on gender identity and sexual orientation. Months later, Mr. DeSantis, now a GOP presidential candidate, said that Disney is suffering because parents “parents don’t want an agenda shoved down their throat.”
“You go back one year, what does them getting involved in the parental rights bill in Florida have to do with them being the world’s premier family entertainment company?” Mr. Frericks asked Friday. “It has to do with nothing. If you take a look at it, they had an approval rating of 77 percent. People loved what Disney was doing. It cratered to 33 percent after that.”
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