Trans Activist Dylan Mulvaney Has Made Millions, Lands Big Brand Partnerships

Actor and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney has garnered attention from a wide array of people thanks to public documentation of her gender transition journey. As a public figure, she has now become a brand representative for companies including Bud Light, Kate Spade, Maybelline, and Nike. Here's a look at Dylan Mulvaney's net worth and career path thus far.

Mulvaney, who has appeared on Broadway in the show The Book of Mormon, documented her transition in a series called "Days of Girlhood." Now, Mulvaney is making her way into the mainstream through major brand partnerships. However, not all of those brands' customer bases have shown positive feedback toward Mulvaney's success.

Born in San Diego, Mulvaney attended college in Cincinnati, Ohio at the University of Cincinnati, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. She put that degree into practice with her first major Broadway role, as Elder White in the musical The Book of Mormon. She began building a TikTok following in 2020

Although not much is publicly available about Mulvaney's formative years, during her transition video series she explained that she was living with "very conservative family" at home in San Diego during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the conservative nature of her family, Mulvaney managed to begin the gender transition process to become a trans woman. In March 2022, she began to share TikTok videos about the transition process, including its highs and lows. On March 13, 2023, Mulvaney celebrated the one-year anniversary of that first TikTok video in "365 Days of Girlhood."

She presented a live variety show from Midtown Manhattan called "Dylan Mulvaney's Day 365 Live!"

Mulvaney has sparked responses from conservatives ranging from confusion to outrage, as major brands have partnered with her. Kate Spade, Nike, Bud Light, and Maybelline have all made major deals with Mulvaney as a spokesperson, prompting some to call for boycotts of those brands.

Mulvaney promoted a contest held by Bud Light, and recently the Anheuser-Busch-owned company sent Mulvaney a pack of celebratory Bud Lights to mark the 365th day of the "Days of Girlhood" TikTok series. As Fox News reported, Bud Light sent Mulvaney custom cans of the beer with her face on it. The brand is reportedly aiming to reach a more diverse customer base with this partnership.

Plenty of social media posts have appeared since Mulvaney posted about Bud Light, in which people dump out full cans of Bud Light. Kid Rock posted a particularly angry video of himself shooting cans of Bud Light while sporting a MAGA hat.

Other companies facing a social media backlash that could translate to lost revenue include Kate Spade, which makes luxury handbags and other lifestyle products, and Nike. The New York Post reported on Mulvaney's first sponsored posts for Nike, in which she stated, "Alert the media — I'm entering my workout era."

Despite the criticism and calls for boycotts, brands are steadfast in forming partnerships with Mulvaney. In March 2023, Mulvaney posted a reel on Instagram promoting the Ole Henriksen Banana Bright+ Vitamin CC Stick. The video was tagged as a paid partnership with the skincare brand.

Shortly after that, it was brought to light that the trans activist became a brand ambassador for the decades-old makeup brand, Maybelline.

As a brand partner or influencer, Mulvaney is earning big bucks, which is one reason for people's criticism. According to The Daily Mail, Mulvaney could be earning up to $150,000 per sponsored post for Nike and Bud Light. With over 12.5 million followers on Instagram and TikTok combined, Mulvaney's reach is unquestionable.

Gareth Boyd, a marketing expert at Forte Analytica, estimated that Mulvaney could be earning about $50,000 to $80,000 per sponsored post on the social media platforms based on her follower count and the companies' size. Other bonuses for successful posts could be written into Mulvaney's contracts with these brands.

Boyd also said that Nike likely did their research to predict the levels of positive versus negative reactions from the public, and judged that the overall effect would be favorable. Social media expert Assil Dayri praised Mulvaney's skills in engaging her audience and said she would likely evolve into a "public figure, rather than a content creator."

Mulvaney has plenty of haters in the online world, as anyone can see plainly by checking out her social media pages or those of her brand partners. One person went to Twitter claiming Mulvaney "has made a career out of mocking women" and that "it shows Dylan’s young followers that if you mock women, you get rewarded with fame and fortune."

A number of other people on social media echoed the sentiment that Mulvaney, rather than being empowering to all people, hates women. James Bradley, a Republican political candidate in California, said, “@Nike just came out as HATING actual women,” and "This is what true misogyny looks like."

Amid all of the calls for boycotts, Mulvaney also has plenty of supporters. She has a right to work and earn a living just like anyone else. Her line of work just happens to be in the public eye.

As the world and general public shift to be more inclusive, it will take time. In the meantime, Mulvaney continues to work and bring awareness to the transgender community.