UPDATE
Jul 18, 2024 12:21 PM CDT
The fallout from Bud Light's trans controversy of last year appears to still be taking a toll. First, the longtime top-selling beer in America fell to No. 2. And now, reports the Wall Street Journal, it has dropped to No. 3. The latest industry stats have Bud Light at 6.5% of beer dollar sales, behind Modelo Especial (9.7%) and Michelob Ultra (7.3%). The silver lining for parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev is that the new No. 2, Mich Ultra, is owned by them, too. Modelo Especial, a Mexican import, is owned by Constellation Brands.
Jun 14, 2023 2:31 AM CDT
In what the Wall Street Journal paints as ongoing fallout from its Dylan Mulvaney controversy, Bud Light has been officially pushed out of the American beer market's top spot. Formerly the country's top-selling beer, Bud Light is now down to No. 2, with Modelo Especial replacing it in the No. 1 spot. Bud Light's sales have been falling since April, when the transgender influencer was featured on a promo can, and in May, it represented just 7.3% of US retail-store beer sales compared to 8.4% for Modelo.
Other Anheuser-Busch beers have also seen sales decline, but the New York Post reports that some of those appear to be starting to recover, unlike Bud Light. Bud Light does still hold the US' top-selling spot for the year to date, but some distributors worry its April-May drop out of the No. 1 position may be permanent.
story continues below
Some Anheuser-Busch distributors are even considering layoffs, per the Journal, which explains that most such distributors are independently-owned, many by families who have long sold Bud products. "Our year is screwed," says one distributor. Distributors who also carry Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo in the US, have seen some of their losses offset by Modelo's increased sales. (More Bud Light stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
