Country star Garth Brooks is facing widespread backlash after saying his new Nashville bar would serve all beers, including Bud Light.
There has been controversy surrounding the beer since its decision to produce a can with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney's face on it. This has not deterred Brooks, though, who confirmed to Billboard that his bar would be selling the beer.
"I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another," he said.
"And yes, we're going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It's not our decision to make. Our thing is this: if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you're an a--hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway."
Brooks' decision sparked outrage, with many calling for boycotts.
"If you live in Tennessee, I recommend you never go to @garthbrooks new bar," tweeted Robby Starbuck, a conservative commentator. "They're going to sell BudLight and apparently he thinks we're a--holes if we don't like it. Make sure all your friends know that."
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., meanwhile slammed Brooks, saying his comments were insulting while pointing to the singer's relationship with Trisha Yearwood while he was married to another woman.
"Now I delete every Garth Brooks song from my collection. NEVER AGAIN GARTH!" added Robert Cornicelli, a GOP candidate for the U.S. House in New York who lost in 2022, on Twitter.
Brooks addressed the uproar Monday on his livestream "Inside Studio G."
"Everybody's got their opinions. But inclusiveness is always going to be me," Brooks said, according to NBC News.
"I think diversity is the answer to the problems that are here and the answer to the problems that are coming. So I love diversity. All inclusive, so all are welcome. I understand that might not be other people's opinions, but that's OK, man."
Brooks added that he was leaving it up to patrons to decide whether or not to buy the beer, but as a bar owner, he would sell it.
"So, here's the deal, man, if you want to come to Friends in Low Places, come in. But come in with love, come in with tolerance, patience. Come in with an open mind, and it's cool," Brooks said.
"And if you're one of those people that just can't do that, I get it," he said. "If you ever are one of those people that want to try, come."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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