Transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney had a “grrreat” night at the 76th Tony Awards on Sunday where he posed alongside none other than Kellogg’s mascot Tony the Tiger, who children would recognize as the Frosted Flakes cereal character.
His hair dyed blond while wearing a bespeckled black gown with a mesh corset, Mulvaney, a man living as a woman, joined the famous mascot on the magenta carpet. The tiger had traded out his red scarf for a red bow tie that displayed his name and the two posed for several photographs.
Though the Kellogg Company brand sent the mascot to the ceremony, it remains unclear if the brand managers had sanctioned or encouraged a photograph with Mulvaney.
“Tony is thrilled to celebrate all the amazing talent and present them with a new ‘Tony’ moment after the curtain falls,” Laura Newman, senior director of brand marketing at Kellogg Company told Fansided.
Tony The Tiger and Dylan Mulvaney attend The 76th Annual Tony Awards at United Palace Theater on June 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images)
The Kellogg Company jumped aboard the woke train in 2021 when it teamed up with GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) for an LGBTQ-themed cereal called “Together With Pride” for none other than Pride Month. As Breitbart News reported at the time:
The limited-edition cereal box features several of Kellogg’s famous cartoon characters, including Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, and Snap, Crackle, and Pop. In the bottom left-hand corner, a Frosted Mini Wheat can be seen holding a rainbow flag with a triangle on it.
The side of the cereal box lists the pronouns, “he/him, she/her,” and “they/them,” as well as a blank section that encourages customers to “add your own.”General Manager of Kellogg U.S. Cereal Category, Doug VanDeVelde, described the cereal as “berry-flavored, rainbow hearts dusted with edible glitter” in a statement announcing the company’s latest collaboration with GLAAD.
The famed beer Bud Light took a hit in the marketplace last month after it partnered with Dylan Mulvaney, which has caused a steep decline in sales. Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid was placed on a leave of absence for her role in pushing the ad. Her boss, Daniel Blake, went on a leave of absence almost immediately after.
“Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support,” an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal at the time. “Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence.”
Heinerscheid came under scrutiny following the Dylan Mulvaney ad after video surfaced of her on a podcast earlier this year in which she aimed to shift Bud Light away from its “fratty” base.
Dylan Mulvaney visits the Zacapa XO x Baccarat Speakeasy at the 76th Annual Tony Awards on June 11, 2023 in New York City. (Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Zacapa Rum)
“I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light. It was, this brand is in decline, it’s been in decline for a really long time, and if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,” she said.
Heinerscheid said the brand reimagining meant “shifting the tone, it means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different and appeals to women and to men.”
Mulvaney responded to the backlash on an episode of the iHeartMedia podcast Onward with Rosie O’Donnell, saying he has become an “easy target” because he is “still new to this.”
“I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult,” said Mulvaney.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or VIMEO On Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.