Dylan Mulvaney is speaking out amid backlash from her partnership with Bud Light.
The Broadway actor and transgender activist partnered with the beer for a March Madness contest. In her video, Mulvaney joked about sports and showed off a beer can with her face on it. Criticism ensued from conservatives who were infuriated the company had sponsored a transgender woman.
In an Instagram video posted April 27, Mulvaney explained why she was “offline for a few weeks” following the outcry and then decided to respond.
“A lot has been said about me,” Mulvaney said in the clip. “Some of which is so far from my truth that I was hearing my name and I didn’t know who they were talking about sometimes.”
The TikTok star said she is “doing OK,” but feels like she’s going through deja vu with being called “too feminine and over the top” like when she was a child.
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“But this time it’s from other adults,” she said. “And if they’re going to accuse me of anything it should be that I’m a theater person and that I’m camp. But this is just my personality and it always has been.”
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Mulvaney said she is struggling to understand the need to dehumanize and be cruel to another person.
“I grew up in a conservative family and I’m extremely privileged because they still love me very much. And I grew up in the church and I still have my faith, which I am really trying to hold on to right now,” the actor said. “But I’ve always tried to love everyone, even the people that make it really, really hard.”
Mulvaney continued, saying she was afraid that the negative online chatter surrounding her would influence her followers to believe the negative things that are being said about her.
“I’m just gonna go ahead and trust that the people who know me and my heart won’t listen to that noise,” she said, adding that she wants to move forward. “The good news is that the people pleaser in me has nearly died because there’s clearly no way of winning over everyone. But if you’re still around. I am too.”
Anheuser-Busch did not immediately respond to comment from TODAY.com.
Amid the partnership and backlash, high profile conservatives like Kid Rock used a rifle to shoot cases of Bud Light while yelling profanities. Country singer Travis Tritt also condemned the collab, tweeting that he would be removing “Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis also said he would be boycotting the beer.
On April 14, Anheuser-Busch’s CEO Brendan Whitworth responded to the backlash against the partnership.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” the statement posted online read, in part. “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, Whitworth said he’s “focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage,” adding that he cares deeply about the country, the company, their brands and partners.
“Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation,” he concluded.
Mulvaney — who gained millions of followers while documenting her transition journey on social media — previously spoke out against online haters while opening up to TODAY’s Jill Martin in 2021.
“I really struggle with the people that don’t think I should be doing these things or think that what I’m doing is evil or that,” she said at the time. “I’m very sensitive and I think because my now job is online for millions of people watching, it opens me up to a lot of hate.”
“I’m a real person,” she added.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
