On Jan. 22, 2024, an article was published positing that the company behind Pabst Blue Ribbon beer stole a "multimillion-dollar exclusive contract with Kid Rock" from Bud Light, or Anheuser-Busch.
The story was a piece of fiction; a satirical article that played a 2023 news story in which the musician boycotted Bud Light after it briefly partnered with a transgender influencer for promotion.
The article began:
Breaking: PABST Snatches Multimillion-Dollar Exclusive Contract from Bud Light with Kid Rock
In a move as smooth as a cold beer on a hot summer day, PABST Blue Ribbon has reportedly inked an exclusive, multimillion-dollar contract with none other than Kid Rock, the American singer known for his eclectic blend of genres and no-nonsense attitude. This strategic maneuver comes hot on the heels of Bud Light’s recent eyebrow-raising marketing campaigns, stirring the pot in the already frothy beer industry.
The claim made its way to Facebook, where a post by account @SpaceX Fanclub received more than 1,000 reactions, as of this writing.
Again, this item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The story originated with Esspots.com, a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:
Welcome to Esspots.com, a website that specializes in satire, parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only.
In 2023, conservative Americans and country stars, including Kid Rock, said they were boycotting Bud Light after it partnered with Dylan Mulvaney, the transgender influencer, for a sponsored video. However, in December 2023, Kid Rock announced in an interview with Tucker Carlson that he was ending his boycott.
As far as the singer's public connection to PBR, he referenced the brand in his 2001 song, "Forever." "Red, white and the Pabst Blue Ribbon; Dead right, that's how I'm living," he says in the song.
We've previously addressed other rumors involving Kid Rock, such as the satirical claim that he and fellow country star Jason Aldean broke Taylor Swift's concert attendance records.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.