Garth Brooks faces backlash as he said his bar would serve Bud Light

Garth Brooks faces fans’ backlash as they vow to ‘throw out his records’ after he said his bar would serve ‘every beer’ including Bud Light despite the controversy over the brand’s link up with Dylan Mulvaney

• Garth Brooks said his new bar will sell ‘every brand of beer’ as it prepares to open
• Some of Brooks’ fans have hit back claiming they would ‘throw out his records’

Garth Brooks has come under fire from some fans after the country singer said he would serve Bud Light despite the ongoing boycott of the beer brand.

Brooks, 61, said his new bar, Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, will sell ‘every brand of beer’ as it prepares to open soon in Nashville’s South Broadway District.

In an interview with Billboard published last week, The Dance singer said he wanted it to ‘be a place you feel safe in’ and where ‘there are manners and people like one another’.

But since his comments, some of his fans have hit back claiming they would ‘throw out his records’ and ‘never attend another one of his concerts’.

Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch have for months now been targeted by conservatives over their partnership with transgender social media influencer, Dylan Mulvaney.

In an interview with Billboard published last week, Brooks said he wanted his bar to ‘be a place you feel safe in’. Pictured: Brooks performs during the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 11, 2023

Dylan Mulvaney drinks a Bud Light in a video posted April 1 on the influencer’s Instagram

Brooks, 61, said his new bar, Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, will sell ‘every brand of beer’

‘I know this sounds corny,’ the father-of-three told Billboard. ‘I want it to be the Chick-fil-A of honky-tonks… I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another.’

He continued: ‘And yes, we’re going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It’s not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another.

‘If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on Lower Broadway.’

Brooks was alluding to the downtown artist-owned bars including John Rich’s Redneck Riviera and Kid Rock’s Big A** Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse that have pulled Bud Light from their establishments over the partnership with Mulvaney.

Fiery reactions spurted out online following Brooks’ comments.

Robert Cornicelli who lost a Republican primary to New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino last year said he would stop listening to the country star’s music.

‘Country music star @garthbrooks has no tolerance for Bud Light boycotters, calling them “a**holes” and promising he will serve the beer brand in his new Nashville bar,’ Cornicelli tweeted. 

‘Now I delete every Garth Brooks song from my collection. NEVER AGAIN GARTH!’

Controversial: The choice came after Rich, 49, and Kid Rock, 52, both pulled Bud Light from their respective bars, following backlash from customers over the largest brewing company’s disastrous partnership with Mulvaney

Bud Light was accused of alienating their traditional customer base by partnering with Mulvaney, which led many conservatives to boycott the brand

Garth Brooks performs on stage at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on March 14, 2019 in Los Angeles

Another account calling themselves ‘HunterMAGA’ said: ‘Patriots I threw out my Garth Brooks music collection. 

‘And I will never attend another one of his concerts. #PatriotsAssemble.’

More accounts claimed they were throwing the country singer’s music out.

‘My trash bin is full…,’ one tweet said. ‘I threw out everything that had Garth Brooks name on it.’

Another wrote: ‘You can take your “safe place” with your Bud Light and shove it. I’m not going there – ever.

‘You have failed to understand the situation. This isn’t about sexual orientation what-so-ever. This is a boycott of the socialist democrats.’

Another tweeter said: ‘I was a huge fan of yours back in the early nineties, before you fell into the trap of being a star…,’ before adding, ‘It was always about your fans. Now, we’re, “a******s” for boycotting Budweiser? Welcome to the boycott.

Country singer John Rich weighed in on Brooks’ comments. He told Fox News on Friday: ‘Garth Brooks has always been the guy that that said, “everybody come to my show”.

‘It’s something that we love about Garth. You know, he makes his music for everybody. And that really is what music is about. You’re making your music for everybody. Beer’s for everybody, too.

‘If Garth is serving Bud Light in his bar, that’s fine. Garth can do that. Garth might find out not many people are going to order it. And at the end of the day, you have to put things in your establishment that people are going to purchase if you’re going to run a successful business. So, he might find that out.’

Country singer John Rich weighed in on Brooks’ comments. He told Fox News on Friday: ‘Garth Brooks has always been the guy that that said, “everybody come to my show”.’ Pictured: John Rich looks on as Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin speaks at a concert for his campaign on October 27, 2021

Others praised Brooks for his comments and his support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Rep. Eric Swalwell said he ‘100 [percent] agree with @garthbrooks… love one another and don’t be an ass-hole … words to live by!’

A second tweet said: ‘Garth Brooks outright saying transphobia won’t be tolerated at the bar he’s opening in Nashville is not one bit surprising.

‘He’s been an ally to LGBTQ folks since the early ’90s. We know Garth has got our backs.’

A third supporter siad: ‘Garth has been an advocate for civil rights for decades. Don’t let him being a giant of country music fool you.

‘Remember “We Can Be Free”…he wrote that civil rights anthem after the LA riots…Brooks was cut out of the Super Bowl in ’93 because they said the song and his stances were too controversial. Garth’s been an ally. This ain’t new.’

Brooks’ 1992 song We Can Be Free was hailed as a civil rights anthem against homophobia and racism.

Bug Light initially saw sales begin to plummet in early April after Mulvaney, 26, appeared on a beer can to celebrate her 365th day of girlhood – a TikTok series she became popularized by.

Mulvaney posted a video on April 1 of herself cracking open a Bud Light on her Instagram page.

She showed off the customized can with her face on it – one of many corporate freebies she gets and promotes to her millions of followers.

Bud Light was accused of driving away their traditional customer base by partnering with Mulvaney, which led many conservatives to boycott the brand.

Bud Light’s CEO for North America, Brendan Whitworth, said on April 14: ‘We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.’

Whitworth also said he would continue to focus on ‘building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.’

Bud Light’s parent company said last month it will triple its marketing spending in the US this summer as it tries to boost ailing sales.

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