Looks like we won’t see Brad Keselowski back in a Miller Lite car any time soon…
The NASCAR driver and now team owner for RFK Racing spent 11 years of his career driving the #2 car for Team Penske in the Cup Series, much of it sponsored by Miller Lite.
But it seems that Keselowski isn’t happy with the current decisions being made by his former sponsor.
Miller Lite has been coming under fire on social media lately after an ad resurfaced from earlier this year featuring comedian and actress Ilana Glazer criticizing beer companies for their use of women in bikinis in their advertising.
The ad, which was part of a Women’s History Month campaign, talks about the contributions of women to the beer industry and contrasts it to the modern-day practice of many beer companies of creating advertising campaigns that feature women in bikinis (obviously geared toward their predominantly-male audience).
Miller Lite then encourages anyone in possession of this “bad sh*t” to send it in for the company to turn into “good sh*t,” promising to compost it and use the compost to grow hops and support women in brewing.
The campaign seemed to largely fly under the radar back in March when the ad was released, but in the wake of the Bud Light controversy and boycott, it’s since resurfaced and thrown Miller Lite into the spotlight alongside Bud Light – a position they probably hoped to avoid.
Many have compared the campaign to Bud Light’s decision to partner with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
Miller, the new Bud Light
R.I.P
— 🐉@Paddy_Stash☠️ (@Paddy_Stash) May 15, 2023
Why do you feel the need to lecture us in a ad? Just sell beer without pissing off your base
— 𝔇𝔢𝔣𝔥𝔦𝔪𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 (@defhimself) May 15, 2023
Bye Miller lite! No more! I do regret ever drinking Miller Lite!
— Maria (@toga925) May 16, 2023
Even Joe Rogan criticized Miller Lite’s decision on his podcast, calling the ad “weird” and decrying “identity politics” that seek to divide us into groups.
And now Brad Keselowski is expressing his displeasure with his former sponsor and their spokeswoman.
After another video surfaced of Glazer speaking to Stephen Colbert and calling him “the model white male” and a “good version” of a white man, Keselowski expressed his disappointment in the company for “dumping” so many of its loyal drinkers in favor of their current direction:
“The hardest part of watching this is knowing that millions of Loyal, beer drinking race fans got dumped for it.
The 2nd hardest part is knowing how the friends I made there over the years must feel.
Hopefully one day this gets better, real soon.”
Damn. Didn’t expect BK to jump into the fray here, and especially didn’t expect him to speak out against a company that he was so closely associated with for over a decade.
I guess we’ll have to keep an eye on Miller Lite’s sales and see if they go the way Bud Light’s have gone over the past month or so.
