A man from New Jersey, Pauly Michaelis, posted a Facebook video where he burned merchandise and hundreds of dollars worth of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.
Michaelis claimed to be the “biggest advocate and supporter” of the brand but was protesting the company going “woke.”
In his post, he stated that Jack Daniels had always been associated with “cowboys, warriors, bikers, savage rock bands, and all-American badass people” and that it had been his drink of choice for over 40 years.
However, he was angered by the company’s “small town, big pride” 2021 ad campaign featuring queens from “Ru Paul’s Race.”
This has sparked conservative outrage, similar to how some Bud Light fans boycotted the brand after it partnered with a popular transgender influencer.
Michaelis Discards Jack Daniel’s Mirror & Glasses
In the video, Michaelis can be seen throwing a large Jack Daniel’s mirror and all of the Jack Daniel’s glasses he owned into a large outdoor garbage can.
He then throws a wooden bar sign into a fire pit before pouring several whiskey bottles, including two of the world’s most expensive Jack Daniel’s bottles, which cost $250 and $100 each.
Michaelis then sets the fire pit alight and shows both middle fingers towards the camera, saying, “F–k your woke-ass company.”
Critics online pointed out that Michaelis was wearing Carhartt, a Michigan-based brand that drew backlash last year after its CEO said it would continue to require a vaccine mandate.
Some detractors remarked that Michaelis seemingly threw away a lot of his money, with one Reddit user, “He showed that multi-billion dollar company!” Others simply made jokes.
The Backlash Against Jack Daniel’s Advertisement Campaign
The backlash against Jack Daniel’s advertisement campaign comes as conservative groups are boycotting big American brands, like Hershey’s and Bud Light, for including transgender in their campaigns.
Singers Kid Rock and Travis Tritt were also outraged over influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s partnership with Bud Light, stating they would no longer support the brand. However, Bud Light has behind working with Mulvaney, who has over 10M followers on TikTok.
The clip also took off on TikTok, prompting one person to question, “Are you telling me that Jack is now Jill.”
