Video of Country Music Artist Shading Bud Light Amid Controversy Goes Viral

Riley Green is the latest country music singer to wade into the Bud Light debate, by changing the lyrics to one of his best-known songs.

The 34-year-old performed at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday when he remixed the lyrics to his hit, "I Wish Grandpas Never Died."

Prominent conservatives said they would boycott Bud Light after it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light sent Mulvaney a personalized can of beer with her face on it to celebrate the one-year anniversary of beginning her gender transition.

Instead of singing "I wish coolers never run out of cold Bud Light," Green instead replaced the beer brand with Coors Light.

The video of the moment was posted to Twitter by lawyer Rogan O'Handley and has had almost one million views over the weekend.

"When @RileyGreenMusic sang his hit song "I Wish Grandpa's Never Died" last night, he changed the lyrics a bit The new line is "and coolers never ran out of cold Coors Light" instead of Bud Light The crowd goes nuts," O'Handley captioned the post.

Green joins a number of country music stars including Travis Tritt and Kid Rock to slam Bud Light for its relationship with Mulvaney.

Tritt vowed to have all beverage brands owned by Anheuser-Busch removed from his summer tour rider, even though he performed at the Two Step Inn festival over the weekend which included Busch Light, another Anheuser-Busch brand, as a major partner. While Rock took a more extreme approach, by shooting up multiple cases of Bud Light in a video posted to social media.

He later posed with cans of Happy Dad seltzer at the UFC 287 event in Miami earlier this month, even though that brand had frequently partnered with transgender reality star Caitlyn Jenner in the past.

As for Green, he will be performing at a number of festivals over the coming months that have partnered with Anheuser-Busch's brands, including Rock The South and The Country Fest 2023. The stadium where he performed the changed song, Nissan Stadium, sells Bud Light at a number of its concession stands. Even his chosen replacement of beer, Coors Light, has a long-standing history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

An investigation by Newsweek found that half of America's bestselling beers have partnered with LGBTQ+ groups or advocates for various campaigns over the years.

Newsweek has contacted Green by email for comment.

On Friday, Bud Light broke the social media silence it has maintained since the Mulvaney backlash started

The company tweeted "TGIF?"—an abbreviation of "Thank God It's Friday?"—in its first social media post since April 2.

Also on Friday, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth released a statement, his first since the backlash began.

He said: "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.

"My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.

"I care deeply about this country, this company, our brand and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others."

The dispute over transgender brand ambassadors is a reflection of a wider debate taking place that questions whether transgender people are welcome in spaces that align with their gender. Some argue that they are not welcome, while allies argue they are because of their gender identity.

Transgender issues are also facing intense legal scrutiny. More than 385 anti-trans bills were introduced in the U.S. in 2023 alone and lawmakers in some states are calling for the repeal of transgender rights, including access to healthcare and access to public restrooms.

"Lies about trans people are being used by Christian nationalist organizations and politicians to validate legislation targeting the trans community... anti-trans rhetoric and disinformation are centered around the myth that transgender identities are not real," wrote Imara Jones and Margaret Huang for Newsweek.

"Trans people are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violence than cisgender people—and as anti-trans disinformation intensifies, so too does the threat to trans people and those who support them."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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