Watch: John Oliver Slams New Bud Light Ad for Fear of Not Offending Anyone

John Oliver calls out Anheuser-Busch for their new ad for Budweiser that relies on its signature Clydesdales and even invokes memories of 9/11, reports The Wrap. "So on Sunday night, John Oliver scorched the company for being 'so afraid of offending anyone' that they produce a commercial that seems as if an artificial intelligence program made it."

The ad came after the beer giant found itself under attack for using trans activist Dylan Mulvaney as a spokesperson. Conservatives have responded in typical ways, some calling for Bud Light boycotts, while others are more visceral, shooting cans of the beer or destroying it in different ways. In response the company released a statement: "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer," Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in part.

"Maddeningly, Anheuser-Busch's response to that ugliness has been to equivocate in the face of it," Oliver said on his HBO show.

"It is pretty annoying to be both sides-ing something when the two sides are: 'I am trans,' and, 'That makes me so mad I'm gonna shoot $65 worth of non-refundable beer,' " Oliver mocked.

Oliver addressed the new ad, which features the company's signature Clydesdale horses, calling it "equally empty." The ad focuses on one of the horses as it runs across the country past symbolic American scenes.

"OK, there is both nothing and a lot going on there," Oliver mocked. "They are clearly so afraid of offending anyone, they put out an ad essentially saying, 'America, something something.' "

Oliver was particularly bothered with the shots of the New York City skyline at the ad's end that was timed with the word, "remember."

"Is that a 9/11 reference, Budweiser?" he asked. "Because shots of a horse running through the plains and remembering 9/11 feels less like an ad and more like the results of feeding an AI program the prompt: 'America, freedom, I'm sorry.' "

And he called the company out for missing an opportunity. "This feels like a huge misfire for Anheuser-Busch, because when bigots are loudly announcing they don't like your beer because they are bigots, that is an opportunity for you to say, 'Then our beer is not for you.' "

While there is no mention of the current controversy, there was a moment when the ad captured two men embracing with the Clydesdale behind them, suggesting something without making a direct point. But that may be the intent.

Watch the ad below: