Actor and comedian Rob Schneider joined the growing list of celebrities including Kid Rock and John Rich condemning Grammy award winning country singer Garth Brooks’ decision to stock Bud Light in his Nashville bar.
The country singer began facing fan backlash after announcing during the Billboard’s Country Music Live in Conversation earlier this month that his soon to be opened Nashville bar Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk will offer every brand of beer including the controversial Bud Light.
“I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place that where you feel like there are manners and people love one another,” Brooks told Billboard. “And yes, we’re going to serve every brand of beer. We are. We just are. It’s not our decision to make.”
“Our thing is this: If you come into this house, love one another.” He noted. “If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway to go.”
After a week of fan backlash, Brooks doubled down on his choice to sell Bud Light at his unopened bar on the No Fences singer’s Facebook Live show Inside Studio G.
“Let’s address two things on it,” Brooks began. “One is diversity, inclusiveness. That’s me. It’s always been me. We got the same kind of thing going on. We shall be free. People want to burn our stuff. I get it, everybody’s got their opinions, but inclusiveness is always going to be me. I think diversity is the answer to the problems that are here and the answer to the problems that are coming.”
“So I love diversity. All-inclusive, so all are welcome,” he continued. “I understand that might not be other people’s opinions, but that’s okay, man. They have their opinions, they have their beliefs. I have mine.”
He then shifted to his second point, “Second thing. Let’s talk about being a bar owner. I’m a bar owner now. Are we going to have the most popular beer in the things? Yes. It’s not our call if we don’t or not. It’s the patrons call, the bosses, right? Bring it in there. If they don’t want it, I’ve got to go to the distributor and say, ‘You’re stuff’s not selling.’ And then action gets taken, right? But the truth is it’s those people in those seats that make those decisions. And that’s what Friends in Low Places is going to be.”
“So here’s the deal, man, if you want to come into Friends in Low Places, come in. Come in with love. Come in with tolerance and patience. Come in with an open mind and it’s cool. And if you’re just one of those people that can’t do that, I get it. If you are ever one of those people that want to try, come. Let’s go have some fun.”
While discussing Brooks’ controversy with Fox News Digital, Norm of the North actor Rob Schneider stated he believed the fallout from the country music titan’s decision for stocking Bud Light will likely have the singer “think twice in the future when it comes to picking a side” including beer.
“I think next time, he’s going to stay out of it. Isn’t he?”, Schneider told Fox News Digital. “I think Garth Brooks, next time, is going to shut his mouth, and he’s going to pretend like ‘I don’t have anything to do with what beer is chosen in my restaurant.'”
“I think the culture is in a very weird little place of hypersensitivity one way or the other. And I think that’s why most people shut their mouths,” he added. “I mean, just from a business standpoint, just shut up, say I have nothing to do with it.”
Despite his grievances with Brooks’ decision, the Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo actor admitted he could see where the country singer was coming from.
“That’s the thing. I’m just as susceptible as Garth – ego. You know, he had to put this in, ‘Well, I think that, you know, I’m a good person because I did…’ And it’s like, shut up.” he said.
“I sound like a baseball player who apologized for upsetting people because he dared give an opinion about what was happening at one of his favorite shopping places, Target, and then he apologized to the fans and friends, and then he still gets booed.” Schneider continued.
“So there is no root. There is no road to forgiveness. There is no way to make amends,” he asserted.
Schneider then added with “the liberals, you’re just out, you’re out forever. And that’s it. You’re out. I’d rather not play [than] to ask you something. I’ll just do it. I’ll just step out.”
“I’m going to speak my mind and then deal with what I do, and if I make less money – I’m sorry. I won’t get a private jet. I’ll just fly first class on Delta, sorry,” he concluded.
What do you make of Schneider’s response to Garth Brooks?