Country music titan Garth Brooks responded to the backlash from fans after he called them “assholes” for disliking his decision to serve Bud Light in his Nashville bar, with a call for people to come to his bar with a spirit of “tolerance” and an open mind.
As Breitbart News reported, Garth Brooks sparked backlash among fans when he said that his Nashville bar, Friends in Low Places, would be serving Bud Light, a beer that has since seen a sharp decline in sales after it partnered with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney.
“Yes, we’re going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It’s not our decision to make,” he reportedly said during a Q&A session for Billboard’s Country Live in Conversation.
“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,” Brooks continued, adding drinkers who disagreed with him could go to “plenty of other spaces on lower Broadway.”
“If you come into this house, love one another. If you’re an asshole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway. In my existence, one asshole can turn the whole tide down there. My thing is, let’s create a place that you feel safe in,” he continued.
Fans of Brooks were so enraged by the comment that they publicly vowed to boycott his bar as well as his music.
@garthbrooks I was a huge fan of yours back in the early nineties, before you fell into the trap of being a star, before you left your high school sweetheart, remember her?
It was always about your fans. Now, we’re, “a******s” for boycotting Budweiser?
Welcome to the boycott.😏 https://t.co/vuPeRSl89N— Michelle🍊 (@Montchelle66_2) June 9, 2023
There are bars galore in Nashville. Stay out of Liberal Garth Brooks nasty watering hole. https://t.co/wrMONpnL11 pic.twitter.com/BPVlTuH4FR
— Linda (@GulfFLLinda) June 11, 2023
On Tuesday, the country superstar responded to the backlash during his Inside Studio G Facebook livestream wherein he said that while he respects people who have different opinions, he will always stand behind diversity and inclusiveness.
“Diversity. Inclusiveness. That’s me. That’s always been me,” he said. “I get it. Everybody’s got their opinions. But inclusiveness is always going to be me. 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 included, so all are welcome. I understand that might not be other people’s opinions, but that’s okay. They have their opinions, they have their beliefs, I have mine.”
As to his decision to serve Bud Light, Brooks said that as a bar owner, he simply wants to include the most popular beers and let the customers decide.
“Let’s talk about being a bar owner, I’m a bar owner now. Are we going to have most popular beers in the thing? Yes. It’s not our call if we don’t or not. It’s the patrons’ call, the bosses, right? Bring them in there, if they don’t want it, I got to go to the distributors and say, ‘Hey man, you’re stuff’s not selling,’ and then the action gets taken,” he said.
Brooks concluded with a call for people to come to his bar with a spirit of “tolerance” and an open mind.
“So, here’s the deal man, if you want to come to Friends in Low Places, come in, come in with love. Come in with tolerance. Patience. Come in with an open mind and it’s cool. And if you’re one of those people that just can’t do that, I get it. If you are ever one of those people that ever want to try, come. Let’s go have some fun,” he concluded.
❤️GARTH BROOKS: “Diversity. Inclusiveness. That’s me. That’s always been me… diversity is the answer to our problems. If you come to our bar, come in with love.” @garthbrooks addresses the unhinged backlash to his NASHVILLE bar carrying Bud Light. This is leadership. pic.twitter.com/f6SSY9nZbC
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) June 13, 2023
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.