This Bud Light ‘crybabies’ billboard is fabricated
If your time is short
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The original creator of the Bud Light billboard explained in a follow-up video that he fabricated the image appearing on the sign based on a Disney+ billboard.
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An executive with Branded Cities, the actual Disney+ billboard’s owner, told The Associated Press the Bud Light billboard was fabricated.
Bud Light owner Anheuser-Busch InBev faced backlash on social media after partnering in April with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
But did Bud Light respond by insulting its critics? That’s what an Instagram video suggests, showing a billboard of a Bud Light beer can with the message, “lol CRYBABIES,” next to it.
“This just went from bad to Worse,” reads text across the video. “Bud Light fires back.”
The post, which was made May 16 but was generating engagement as recently as Aug. 14, was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
But don’t believe everything you see.
(Screengrab from Instagram)
The “crybabies” video appears to have been created by the TikTok account @jamisonlightfoot. The creator later deleted the original post but published a video April 27 explaining that he altered a Disney+ billboard to look like a Bud Light sign, using Adobe After Effects.
The actual billboard is in Toronto and, in the lower-right corner displayed the name of an advertising company called Branded Cities. PolitiFact asked the advertising company for comment, but did not hear back. However, The Associated Press in April reported that an executive there told them the Bud Light billboard was fabricated.
We rate the video that shows a Bud Light billboard that says “lol CRYBABIES” False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, May 26, 2023
Post on X, April 21, 2023
TikTok post, April 27, 2023
PolitiFact, Anheuser-Busch CEO didn’t resign after Bud Light partnered with Dylan Mulvaney, April 10, 2023
PolitiFact, Anheuser-Busch isn’t closing half its breweries. Those claims stem from a satirical website, May 1, 2023
The Associated Press, Bud Light did not call its critics ‘crybabies’ on a billboard, April 21, 2023
Branded Cities, accessed Aug. 14, 2023
