Jon Stewart has hit out at corporations for “financially exploiting” Pride month, telling viewers “There is nothing that corporations do that is not in service of their bottom line.”
The comedian took aim at big-name brands including Burger King, Skittles and Oreo for their recent Pride campaigns.
Mocking Target for “dialing back” it’s Pride celebration this year following backlash from conservative shoppers in 2023, Stewart said: “Pride month means so much to them, that they set one small area in their 20,000 square feet of store to sell you a Pride t-shirt they made in Indonesia for 29 cents because they believe so much in the cause.”
Theo Wargo /Eric Thayer/Stringer/Getty Images
The 61-year-old then cut to a clip of conservative commentator Candace Owens, in which the Daily Wire host accused people who shop at Target of being “gay” and a “pervert.”
“Even if I’m just getting paper towels?” Stewart joked.
The host then lambasted Bud Light for backtracking following the conservative boycott in 2023. Shares of Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, dropped dramatically following its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April 2023.
The beer brand sent Mulvaney a personalized crate of Bud Light to celebrate her first full year of living as a women. Conservative celebrities, such as Kid Rock and Travis Tritt, vowed to ditch the beverage, encouraging their fans to do the same.
The brand quickly released a statement that attempted to apologize for the partnership, angering LGBTQ activists while doing little to improve Bud Light’s image with its consumer base.
“Let’s stop pretending that corporations can be woke or unwoke, or patriotic or unpatriotic,” Stewart told the audience.
“Let’s just let corporations live their truth, as the profit-seeking Patrick Bateman psychopaths that they are.”
Newsweek has reached out to Burger King, Skittles, Oreo, Target, Bud Light and Candace Owens for comment via email.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.