Colin Kaepernick hired to promote Bud Light? That's stolen satire | Fact check
The claim: Colin Kaepernick named brand ambassador for Bud Light
A Jan. 21 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims to share news about a partnership between former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and a popular beer brand.
"Breaking: Bud Light Names Colin Kaepernick as Brand Ambassador," the post reads in part.
It includes an image of Kaepernick next to an image of a Bud Light can being raised in the air.
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Our rating: False
There have been no reports from Anheuser-Busch InBev, Kaepernick or reputable news organizations about the former quarterback being named an ambassador for Bud Light. The claim originated as satire.
No evidence Kaepernick hired to promote Bud Light
The post appears to tap into controversies involving Kaepernick, who drew attention for sitting and then kneeling during the national anthem before San Francisco 49ers games in 2016, and Bud Light, the beer brand from Anheuser-Busch InBev that faced a conservative boycott related to its collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in 2023.
But there is no evidence of Kaepernick partnering with Bud Light in a "brand ambassador" capacity, as the post claims. There have been no credible news reports about such an arrangement. Nor have there been any announcements from Kaepernick or Anheuser-Busch about such a collaboration.
The claim started as satire. It appeared in a 2023 article from SpaceXMania, which describes itself as a source for "fake news" and satire on its About Us page. The article's title, "Breaking: Bud Light Names Colin Kaepernick as Brand Ambassador," matches the language in the Facebook post. The article also carries a satire label.
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The image in the Facebook post includes an obscured and largely translucent logo for SpaceXMania but does not otherwise indicate the claim's satirical origin. A website linked in the post's comment section borrows language from the SpaceXMania article but does not include a satire label.
The Facebook post is an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where posts created as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.
Paste BN reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Attempts to reach Anheuser-Busch and Kaepernick for comment were not successful.
Check Your Fact and Snopes also previously fact-checked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Anheuser-Busch, accessed Jan. 21, Newsroom
- Colin Kaepernick, accessed Jan. 21, News
- Colin Kaepernick, accessed Jan. 21, X profile
- SpaceXMania (archived), Sept. 9, 2023, Breaking: Bud Light Names Colin Kaepernick as Brand Ambassador
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