Dylan Mulvaney: 5 Things About Trans TikTok Star At Center Of Bud Light & Nike Backlash
TikTok sensation & trans rights activist Dylan Mulvaney recently partnered with Bud Light & Nike, but has received backlash from online haters. Here are five things to know about her!
- Dylan Mulvaney (b. Dec. 29, 1996) is an actress, TikTok star, and trans rights activist.
- She documented her gender transition with her “Days of Girlhood” series on TikTok.
- Dylan uses She/They pronouns.
- Dylan, who came out as trans during the COVID-19 pandemic, has recently become a target for online backlash after becoming a Bud Light & Nike partner.
“This is very personal for me,” Drew Barrymore told Dylan Mulvaney when the TikTok star appeared on the Mar. 13, 2023 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show. Drew, 48, said she was honored to have Dylan, 26, on the show, as the latter’s 365 Days of Girlhood series on TikTok represented someone navigating “a world where we’re trying to figure out who we’re supposed to be.” Drew also commented about the “risk and [the] bravery” of Dylan putting herself out there while documenting her gender transition.
Dylan told Drew that she considered that she might “have to go into hiding” when she came out as trans, but instead, decided to “see if the world is willing to accept me this way from day one, and they did.” However, as the over 400 anti-LGBTQ legislative bills that the ACLU has tracked (including the wave of GOP-sponsored laws seeking to limit trans rights), not everyone has accepted Dylan. Clips of her appearance on Drew Barrymore were shared online on Tuesday, causing right-wing bigots to have public meltdowns on Twitter.
“There’s so much hatred directed at the trans community right now,” Dylan told Drew. It’s everywhere. And I think the greatest weapon I can contribute is trans joy and comedy and talking about hard subjects and really intricate moments of a transition, and try to let everybody in to see that I’m not a monster. I’m not somebody that is trying to do anything but trying to be myself and be happy.”
Most recently, Dylan became the center of backlash online after she officially partnered with Bud Light and Nike for a few sponsored Instagram posts. On Apr. 1, 2023, the brunette beauty posted a video promoting the beer company, as they had sent Dylan some cans with her face on it. “Happy March Madness!! Just found out this had to do with sports and not just saying it’s a crazy month! In celebration of this sports thing @budlight is giving you the chance to win $15,000! Share a video with #EasyCarryContest for a chance to win!! Good luck! #budlightpartner,” she captioned the paid post. Soon after that many people, including singer Kid Rock, 52, who took to Instagram to post a video of shooting cans of Bud Light with a gun on Apr. 4. “F*** Bud Light,” he said in the clip.
Following the Bud Light drama, Dylan posted a carousel of photos wearing a Nike sports bra and leggings to announce she has partnered with the athletic company on Apr. 5. “Home for a moment and leaning into cozy workout wear life with @nikewomen ‘s newest Zenvy leggings and Alate bra! They’re so comfortable and buttery soft, perfect for workouts and everyday wear! #feelyourall #teamnike #nikepartner,” they captioned the post. Several people took the comments to announce they would boycott the brand, however, others supported Dylan and defended her. “Wait. Dylan being sponsored by Nike Women?!??!! LOVE,” one fan gushed.
Related Gallery
Drew Barrymore Then & Now: Photos Of The Star From Her 'E.T' Child Actress Days To Today
Amid all of the backlash, here are five things to know about Dylan!
1. Dylan Is An Actress, Social Media Personality & Activist
Dylan was born in San Diego, California. She attended the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and graduated in 2019 with a BFA in musical theatre. At that time, Dylan knew she was trans and struggled to find her spot in the entertainment world.
“I put so much of my own identity away just so that I could have opportunities in my industry,” she told Los Angeles Magazine in 2022. “I struggled for so long in having the entertainment industry accept me and have a place for me… now, because the internet and all these followers have decided to love me, it’s creating these opportunities that I didn’t have before.”
Dylan’s biggest role came with the touring company of the Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon. Dylan played the character of Elder White. She also appeared in a handful of other roles, including stage adaptations of Legally Blonde, High School Musical, and productions of Bye Bye Birdie and Spring Awakening.
Her series on TikTok (10.8 million followers as of March 2023) has brought her the attention of many A-listers and fans, including Lady Gaga and Paris Hilton.
@dylanmulvaney God I love you @parishilton #sliving #thatssmooth
2. She Came Out As Trans At Age Four
Though Dylan’s transition has been in the public eye for a few years, she’s been aware of her identity from the start. “I came out to my mom at [age] 4,” Dylan told Variety. “I told her, ‘I’m a girl.’ We were very, very religious so she was like, ‘God doesn’t make mistakes.’ But I didn’t know that I could transition. I didn’t know that there were options or resources.” Seeing Laverne Cox on Orange Is The New Black helped Dylan come to terms with this identity and befriending E.R. Frightmaster at Upright Citizen’s Brigade helped bolster Dylan’s confidence.
“We met doing a comedy improv show at UCB,” Dylan told Variety. I was enamored by them… Just to watch someone so confidently, there was some swagger there in this, like, “I know who I am.” I wanted that so desperately. I’m just really grateful that that was my first person I had met.”
3. She Began Her Transition Thanks To Covid
“That [during the pandemic] was the first moment since I was a child that I really got to ask myself like Dylan, like, ‘Who are you without acting and without playing a boy part?'” she told Los Angeles Magazine. “I started asking myself those tough questions that I don’t think I would even have found the answers to today had the pandemic not happened.”
Dylan began documenting her gender transition on TikTok with her “Days of Girlhood Series.” She completed her first year – Day 365 – on March 13, 2023.
@dylanmulvaney DAY 365 show info!!!!! Dreams coming trueeee #trans #theatre
“I had never seen a trans person start from day one,” Dylan told the Observer. “I was seeing all these incredible trans women and was very intimidated because I wanted to be like them but didn’t know how to. I decided to [make the series] for every future trans person and current trans people that need answers. And I also try to approach everything with empathy and comedy.”
4. Dylan Has Interviewed President Joe Biden
Dylan interviewed President Joe Biden in October 2022 for NowThis News. They discussed the upswing of anti-trans legislation being passed by states, specifically the increased ban on gender-affirming healthcare. “I don’t think any state or anybody should have a right to do that,” said President Biden, “as a moral question and a legal question. I just think it’s wrong.”
5. She’s Clashed With Caitlyn Jenner
Following Dylan’s interview with Mr. Biden, Senator Marsha Blackburn (representing Tennessee, the first state in 2023 to restrict public drag performances, per CNN) tweeted a video of Dylan discussing normalizing “women having bulges,” calling her a “radical left-wing lunatic.” Caitlyn Jenner, a trans woman, retweeted the senator’s comments. “Thank you for speaking out and having a backbone – one of the best senators we have. Let’s not ‘normalize’ any of what this person is doing. This is absurdity!” Caitlyn then misgendered Dylan in a follow-up tweet, saying she was “talking about his penis.”
@dylanmulvaney Day 233- a message to Caitlyn. To my followers, please do not send her any hate. ❤️ #trans #daysofgirlhood #caitlynjenner
Dylan responded to the comment in a TikTok. Calling her and Caitlyn two of the most “privileged trans women in America,” Dylan said she would still be open to finding common ground with Jenner, despite their different political viewpoints. “I automatically have a lot of respect for you as a fellow trans woman, but then you decided to ridicule me very publicly,” said Dylan.
Dylan clapped back at the former Keeping Up with the Kardashians supporting cast member for trying to paint her as a “creeper flasher exposing myself” when she was just wearing a pair of shorts. “I was wearing perfectly normal shorts at the mall.” Dylan spoke about how early on in her transition, she didn’t know how to “tuck” and was struggling.
“I’m just curious if you can think back to your early days of transitioning and remember being embarrassed about your body or having strangers give you dirty looks, that’s why I made that video,” Mulvaney said. “Because I was embarrassed and I wanted to reclaim my body in a positive way. Now you’ve taken that and turned it into something really ugly.”