Superfan burns Jack Daniel’s merch over past collab with drag queens: ‘F**k your woke-ass company’
Pauly Michaelis set alight several bottles of Jack Daniel’s, amounting to hundreds of pounds, in protest over the brand featuring drags queens in a 2021 campaign. (Facebook/Pauly Michaelis)
In an expensive tantrum over Jack Daniel’s going “woke” for its past partnership with RuPaul drag queens, a former superfan has gone viral in a tirade that saw him burn hundreds of dollars of merchandise.
Two years ago, the Tennessee-based whiskey company platformed drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race in its summer campaign named Drag Queen Summer Glamp, which was sponsored by Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire and aired during June to celebrate Pride.
Following the recent resurfacing of the colourful campaign, the far-right have taken to social media to do what they do best: call for the brand to be boycotted for being “woke”.
Most dramatic of all reactions has come from Pauly Michaelis, who posted a now-viral video on Facebook condemning the whiskey brand.
In a lengthy three-minute clip, which was publish on 7 April, Michaelis bins hundreds of dollars of Jack Daniel’s products.
‘You will never have the honour of touching my lips ever again’
“They went woke,” the former superfan wrote in the video’s caption, which stated the whiskey had always been his favourite drink.
“You will never have the honour of touching my lips ever again,” the caption went on to say.
In the video, Michaelis states that he was the “biggest advocate and supporter of Jack Daniel’s whiskey”.
“I have been for 40 years of my life, if not longer. Here’s the deal: You went woke,” he says. “So, here’s what I got for you guys.”
He is then seen throwing Jack Daniel’s merchandise into an outdoor bin, including “every Jack Daniel’s glass” he has ever owned and a wooden bar sign.
Enraged by the brand’s inclusivity he takes to pouring bottles of the whiskey into a fire pit.
“And the capper. Two of the world’s most expensive Jack Daniel’s. Two-hundred fifty dollars a bottle, and $100 a bottle,” he rants before showing the two bottles to the camera and pouring the valuable liquor into the pit.
“F**k your woke-ass company,” he says, before setting the fire pit alight and throwing both middle fingers to the camera.
The 2021 campaign that sparked fury in the former Jack Daniel’s fan saw the brand partner with drag queens Manila Luzon, BeBe Zahara Benet, and Trinity the Tuck.
A Jack Daniel’s spokesperson told PinkNews: “Jack Daniel’s is made with everyone in mind, including the LGBTQ+ community.
“Jack Daniel’s celebrates individuality and living life boldly on your own terms.”
Jack Daniel’s isn’t the only brand bigots are currently trying to boycott as Bud Light and Nike are also facing backlash for partnering with trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney.
In an equally bizarre show of opposition, an anti-trans campaigner took to Twitter to post a clip of her setting fire to her Nike sports bra while screaming that she was boycotting the brand.
The temper tantrum followed Mulvaney sharing a paid post promoting the brand while wearing Nike leggings and a sports bra to her 1.8 million followers.
Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney saw several right-wingers claim they would no longer drink the brand’s beer, with musician Kid Rock even filming himself shooting Bud Light cans.
But days before the backlash kicked off the beer’s marketing vice president claimed that the brand had to ditch its “fratty” reputation and become more inclusive if it stood a chance of surviving.
PinkNews has contacted Michaelis.
