A New Jersey man’s beef with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey turning too “woke” has gone viral after he posted a video of himself torching a comically massive load of merchandise and booze to protest the brand’s support for the LGBTQ+ community.
In the early morning of April 7, Pauly Michaelis posted a video of the defiant burn session to Facebook.
“For those of you who know me well my drink has always been Jack Daniels,” he wrote. “For over 150 years since 1866 this drink was always associated with cowboys, warriors, bikers, savage rock bands and all American badass people.”
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“THEY WENT WOKE,” he said with the middle finger emoji.
“Jasper Newton is turning over in his grave. THEY took a classic tradition of Americana that was the total [definition] of masculinity and made it WOKE and for this I say FUCK YOU JD and all of your products,” Michaelis wrote. “You will never have the honor of touching my lips ever again. #jackdanielswhiskey #wokeness #bringmasculinityback #EnoughIsEnough.”
The accompanying video shows Michaelis wearing denim overalls while standing in the doorway of what appears to be the back porch of a house.
“As you all know, I’m the biggest advocate and supporter of Jack Daniel’s. I have been for 40 years of my life, if not longer. Here’s the deal: You went woke,” 50-year-old Michaelis says. “So, here’s what I got for you guys.”
Michaelis then carries a Jack Daniel’s mirror outside and throws it in a large trash bin, followed by “every Jack Daniel’s glass [he] own[s]” and a wooden sign that had been hanging in his bar. He marches back to the house time and again, grabbing more items and pouring out his many whiskey bottles onto a fire pit before throwing the empty bottles in the garbage.
“And the capper,” Michaelis says, stomping into the house. “Two of the world’s most expensive Jack Daniel’s. Two-hundred-fifty dollars a bottle, and $100 a bottle. Fuck your woke ass company.”
Michaelis adds the liquor to the pit, sets it on fire, and then tosses up both middle fingers to the camera.
The video received over 200 comments on Facebook, with most people cheering him on. That sentiment was not shared on Reddit, where hundreds of commenters put him on blast.
“You were a die hard JD fan so this shocked me at first but more important you are more American [than] anything !” someone commented under the video on Facebook. “I applaud you !”
“Absolutely agree!” someone else wrote. “Thank God someone is standing up & speaking out!! This WOKE SHIT us destroying our Country.”
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey has recently come under fire with right-wingers for the brand’s Pride campaign with former contestants of RuPaul’s Drag Race BeBe Zahara Benet, Manila Luzon, and Trinity the Tuck. As part of that partnership, the company has created a reality series that showcases members of the LGBTQ+ community as they explore the food and drink industry.
“Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire is dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ community year-round through representation in media we produce, nurturing a diverse and inclusive business, and partnerships and donations to [Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation],” the company says on its website.
Jack Daniel’s has also reckoned with its racial history in recent years after stories surfaced about the enslaved Black man who helped create the iconic recipe and was essentially scrubbed from the brand’s origin story.
The latest ordeal comes after the so-called anti-“Woke” brigade—including rock rapper Kid Rock—blasted Bud Light for partnering with a trans influencer on a “365 days of womanhood” campaign.
Regardless of Michaelis’ dedication to rid himself of every Jack Daniel’s item he owns, his critics on Reddit read him to filth.
“He just threw away a lot of his own money,” a Reddit user replied under the video.
“Watch as I burn about 60$ of my own shit while I stomp around like a big baby for 3 fucking minutes,” someone else wrote. “I’m sure the people at jack daniels are terrified right now.”
“Glad he had his big boy pants on for this,” another user wrote.
Michaelis declined to comment to The Daily Beast on the matter.
