The Bud Light saga has drawn a wide pool of comments from public figures since the beer collaborated with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney for an ad posted on Instagram three weeks ago.
Right-leaning commentators have called for a boycott of the beer while Republican politicians have made angered gestures, including one Missouri representative who this week tweeted a video of himself smashing a can outside the state's General Assembly.
And, according to one social media post, the head of one of the world's largest drinks brands appeared to have stepped into the ring but instead seemingly lambasted those who'd spoken out against the Mulvaney campaign.
The Claim
A tweet by user @TerrenceBeBack, posted on April 19, 2023, viewed 40,000 times, included a photo of Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey with the caption: "When asked about the BOYCOTT COCA-COLA CEO JAMES QUINCEY SAYS: 'A few right winged NUTS won't effect [sic] our bottom line.'"
The accompanying tweet said: "It looks like we need to give 'Woke Cola' the 'Bud Light treatment'.
It looks like we need to give “Woka Cola” the “Bud Light treatment”. pic.twitter.com/O2UMJ4HJx2
— Terrence Simpson (@TerrenceBeBack) April 19, 2023
The Facts
Calls to boycott of Bud Light and other drinks owned by parent company Anheuser-Busch gathered significant attention earlier this month, as conservatives expressed outrage over the Mulvaney ad.
Some claimed the boycott was a success, saying the company had lost billions in value since the call to arms, despite a lack of verifiable evidence (not to mention the partial recovery of the company's share price).
Nonetheless, the story has continued to inspire commentary, with this recent tweet, ascribed to Quincey, suggesting that a prominent new voice was now among the conversation, attacking those who'd joined the protest.
Although Quincey's quote does not directly mention Bud Light, only a "boycott", the reference to the "Bud Light treatment" in the tweet implies that the quote was made following the uproar surrounding the Mulvaney ad campaign.
Other messages quoting Quincey have been more direct. One tweet, posted on April 16, 2023, responded to a story about Bud Light with the same Quincey picture and caption, adding: "Let's make James Quincey feel as special as we have Anheuser Bush .. James Quincey calls us right wing nuts."
Regardless of how these posts were worded, it did not take long for Newsweek to discover that this quote has nothing to do with Bud Light, nor is there evidence that Quincey ever said this about Bud Light or any other boycott for that matter.
In 2021, the quote was shared following an angry reaction to leaked diversity training materials said to have been linked to Coca-Cola.
Speaking to Reuters in February 2021, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said the quote was fabricated. There is no other evidence that Quincey said these words about Bud Light, Coke, or any other product or brand.
Newsweek has contacted Coca-Cola's press representatives via email for comment.
The White House was drawn into the Mulvaney Bud Light conversation this week after bomb threats against Anhuser-Busch were made.
It condemned the threats, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre adding: "We're going to fight alongside [LGBTQ+ people] to protect their rights, and they should be allowed to be who they are, who they want to be."
The Ruling
False.
There is no evidence that James Quincey said that Bud Light boycotters were "right winged NUTS".
The quote first began appearing two years ago seemingly in response to another backlash related to Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has previously said the quote was fabricated.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
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.
