Ad firm linked to Bud Light's Dylan Mulvaney campaign lays off 20% of staff: report

A California-based marketing firm allegedly responsible for Bud Light's disastrous partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has laid off 20% of its staff, the New York Post reported.

Bud Light fell from its perch as the best-selling beer in the country following a major boycott triggered by Mulvaney posting about the deal on Instagram, highlighting a promotional can featuring the influencer's visage. Anheuser-Busch, which owns Bud Light, blamed an unspecified ad agency for creating the can without consulting the company but placed its own marketing executives on leave.

Captiv8, which the outlet identified as the firm responsible, laid off 20% of its employees, about 30 in total, as part of a restructuring effort. The firm laid off 13 others in July.

The most recent cutbacks affected "several department heads." One affected executive told the outlet that "I'm guessing that Dylan Mulvaney contributed. They weren't laying people off before [April 1]," referencing the date Mulvaney posted on Instagram.

The boycott became a viral sensation and saw Bud Light sales fall 24.4% by mid-June, driven in part by support from prominent conservative figures and entertainers.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.