In recent news, Robby Starbuck, a warrior-against-woke activist, claimed that Jack Daniel’s has renounced a series of diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and left-leaning initiatives. This decision was preemptively announced by Brown-Forman, the parent company of the Tennessee distiller. Among the initiatives renounced were participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, tying executive and employee bonuses to business performance rather than DEI goals, ending quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions, and cutting woke trainings. Jack Daniel’s is the latest in a growing list of iconic US brands to rid itself of toxic “woke” programs.
Starbuck has gained international attention for highlighting radical social agendas in iconic American brands, including Harley-Davidson. His efforts have led to a significant backlash against companies that have implemented far-left initiatives, causing tension between leadership and loyal customers. Starbuck has been influential in exposing leftist initiatives at companies like John Deere, Tractor Supply Co., and now Jack Daniel’s. He believes that Jack Daniel’s may have been tipped off by his investigation of employee LinkedIn pages, leading to the company’s decision to renounce its leftist initiatives.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Starbuck revealed that he had compiled evidence of unpopular leftist policies at another iconic US brand. He described the initiatives at Brown-Forman as deeply ingrained, including company drag shows and excessive promotion of various sexual identities that did not align with their customer base. Brown-Forman’s executive leadership team acknowledged in a letter to employees that their diversity and inclusion strategy, launched in 2019, needed to evolve due to changing business environments and legal landscapes, especially in the United States. Starbuck believes that the pressure from his investigations is pushing multibillion-dollar organizations to change their policies out of fear of being exposed next.
Starbuck sees his work as a way to bring sanity back to corporate America, one company at a time. He claims that his investigations have led to significant changes in policies at companies like Jack Daniel’s, before the issues gain media attention. Despite the positive impact of his work, Fox News Digital’s request for comment from Brown-Forman did not receive an immediate response. Starbuck’s efforts have revealed a growing trend of iconic American brands stepping away from divisive and controversial leftist initiatives in favor of aligning with their customer base and focusing on business performance rather than DEI goals. It remains to be seen how other companies will respond to similar pressures and whether this trend will continue in the future.
