Kirby Heyborne (Singles Ward, RM, The Best Two Years, Saints and Soldiers) recently acted in a commercial for US brewer Miller. Here’s the video:
Any thoughts?
Kirby Heyborne Beer Commercial
233 thoughts on “Kirby Heyborne Beer Commercial”
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Get a life people.
Troll.
Kirby is my fav actor! i agree with the comment close to the top, it’s just a job. It’s not breaking the comandments and he’s not really drinking it. Personaly I wouldn’t have done that, but its not our place to judge him. And I think he is a great guy, a great actor, and great member of the church. We all need to remember we are all gods children!
Great thoughts, Craig.
I appreciate Eric’s comment #45. I don’t think people are sinning by having a beer unless they’re under a covenant not to do so. It’s comparable to a malum prohibitum crime rather than a malum in se crime. Obviously the use of alcohol isn’t inherently evil, but it would be wrong for me because, as a Latter-day Saint, I’ve made covenants not to do it.
When?
I’ve never seen his movies, but when he said in the news that he doesn’t “endorse beer,” he’s kidding himself.
Dude. You do a commercial, you’re making an endorsement. You don’t fool anyone but yourself if you think doing an ad isn’t endorsing something.
This guy is one beer short of a six-pack.
No, when you are in a commercial you are doing a job. It doesn’t automatically mean you endorse it. And let he who is without sin cast the first stone. The amount of condemning Kirby has received seems to indicate there are numerous perfect people out there.
Besides that, he is breaking no commandments by being in the commercial and is still perfectly worthy to receive a temple recommend. Not that it matters to anyone except himself, his wife and the Lord.
I never said he was “sinning.” That would be lame. I just said that he was kidding himself if he says he isn’t endorsing beer. Because he totally is. No matter how much you idolize this guy, and rush to his defense, and declare all jobs worth doing, it doesn’t change the fact: You do an advertisement for anything, you are endorsing it. I’m sure he’s a fun actor, I’ve never seen him, but I wish him well.
I don’t idolise him at all, I wouldn’t even call myself a fan. I have only watched one of his shows. I just don’t believe in vilifying people strictly because they are celebrities and putting them to a higher standard than anyone else. Whether I agree with his decision or not isn’t important. What is important is that it his own decision and as I said; it is between Kirby, his wife and the Lord.
The argument that he was just acting is silly. Perhaps he should get into porn as the copier repair man who cannot do his job because the copier is currently being “used for something else”. I mean, nothing wrong with that, right?
If Mr. Heyborne is a temple worthy member as he claims to be, how did he ever answer this question honestly?
“Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?”
I’m pretty sure that by apprearing in the beer commercial, he not only affiliated with, but directly supported such a group.
Kim, in answer to Question 56, I’d say the two occasions that stand out in my mind are when I was baptized, covenanting to follow Christ and keep all his commandments, and when I was endowed and made essentially the same promise.
Interesting. I didn’t realize picking up a bottle of beer or starring in a beer commercial was breaking a commandment.
Kim, would you consider yourself as a letter of the law person or a spirit of the law person?
I have personally met up with Kirby and asked him several questions. First of all, with the Saints and Solders movie, those cigs were herbal. Second, there are always reasons for his decisions in life. He may have been in need of money for his family. We can not judge him for his actions. I have been a huge fan of his for several years and I know he is a great man and he would never cause anything to harm himself. I still would consider him temple worthy guy and I will not judge him for what he has done. Remember- there are always reasons for our actions. He will make mistakes and he will fix them on his own if he thinks it’s that bad. I’m a fan and I am on Kirby’s side.
Both, Ian.
When I say “keep the commandments”, I refer to actual commandments.
I also try to go beyond that by doing things that may not be commandments, but that I have interpreted to be things I should be doing to improve my spirituality.
I only ask that because you seem to be pretty letter of the law on this issue. There is no letter of the law on getting paid to pick up a beer bottle for a commercial, so it must be ok. The letter of the law of the word of wisdom does not in any way say anything about what Kirby did. However, many people would consider the commercial against the spirit of the law. Just my two cents.
Personally, I am a tad dissapointed that he did the commercial. I am not judging him, I will not boycott his movies. I’m sure he is a member in good standing… but, i’m dissapointed in him the same way i’m disappointed in my son for not cleaning his room. It’s not that I hate him or dislike him or think he’s a bad person for not doing his chores, but I can be disappointed for sure. That’s how I feel in this situation. I’m sure others feel the same way. That is not in any way judgmental in my book. I hope my children do not choose to appear in beer commercials.
Yes, there are many judgemental people out there, there are many judging Kirby for his actions. That is probably not the best way to look at the situation.
Actually, the “letter of the law of the word of wisdom” says what Kirby did is fine considering D&C 89 states mild drinks (of which beer is one) are fine to consume. But that’s a whole other discussion.
Ian
I don’t agree with that choice either, on a personal level, however I too, do not judge Kirby, it was his choice and so as such doesn’t affect me as far as it making a difference in my life. But so many members are literally irate about his choice which I think goes WAY beyond the importance of this issue and speaks more about their own characters rather than Kirby’s.
The last I heard was that the LDS Church teach thier members about forgivness. We all make mistakes in this life. And what about free agency!
Call me a hypocrit if I judge: Kim S, point simple: Avoid the appearance of evil. How would you react if you saw your husband, father, son, or whoever pick up a beer? Maybe carry it in their pocket. Use it to roll out dough? A beer is alcohol. Alcohol is against the Word of Wisdom. You pick up a beer you are giving the appearance of evil EVEN IF IT IS YOUR JOB. If my job asked me to embezzle money, that wouldn’t make it okay for me to do it because it was my job. Or how about fudging numbers to make them LOOK right. So should I keep doing my job when it gives the appearance of evil? According to your intellectually logical but spirtually devoid stance I guess it’s okay for me to do so.
I think you misinterpret 1 Thess. 5:22. “Appearance of evil” doesn’t mean anything that seems evil; it means “every time evil shows up/presents itself”.
Your examples of embezzlement and fraud do not parallel Kirby’s experience considering both are illegal and can result in church discipline, whereas Kirby faces no such result.
The issue wouldn’t be how I would react. The issue would be how my wife (and even the church) would react to my being married to a man.
So you deflect the question with humor and rhetoric?
“You pick up a beer you are giving the appearance of evil EVEN IF IT IS YOUR JOB.”
So working in shipping is out of the question, I guess.
You never know what you might be transporting…
“So working in shipping is out of the question, I guess. You never know what you might be transporting…”
Semantics. I can’t be as perfect as you intellectual giants in making my point.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:
The gospel is one of peace, harmony, unity, and agreement. In it argument and debate are supplanted by discussion and study Those who have the Spirit do not hang doggedly to a point of doctrine or philosophy for no other reason than to come off victorious in a disagreement. Their purpose, rather, is to seek the truth by investigation, research, and inspiration (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 19661, p.161).
Kirby made a decision that affects his IMAGE in the church but not his standing. I think it was a bad one and he will be responcsible for it. I am going to let this one go. Even if you can’t.
I can’t believe the justification that is going on in these posts. Millions of LDS kids have seen Kirby’s movies and now they see him in a beer commercial promoting beer and at the end even picking one up. If you can’t see what’s wrong with that I am sorry for you.
I answered your question, but in an effort to be clearer, yes, I think it is possible to have job that appears to be evil. I mean, should someone not sell bottled water because it looks like bottled vodka?
I used to work for a carpet cleaning company. We had to clean several bars in the city. I guess I should have told me boss I couldn’t come to work those times because my bishop might see me coming out of the bar. Is that the point you’re trying to make, Andy?
And this quoted by someone who labelled me (or rather my stance whatever that is) as spiritually devoid. Odd.
Walter, the issue isn’t whether it’s wrong. It’s whether we should be the ones determining whether it is wrong.
“Millions of LDS kids have seen Kirby’s movies.”
Millions? I mean, really?
A bit over-dramatic, no?
You fellas really like to nit pick and argue don’t ya? Your trying so hard to look smart by making others look dumb that you don’t see how dumb you look. Get of your high horse and don’t be so contrary.
The issue here is that you are all concernewd about the image an actor has on your children. maybe as parents you should take the time to talk to your children and see how they feel about this issue and let them know that because one person used bad judement they do not have to follow.
kay, great idea!
Why not talk with your kids about this actor’s choice and see if it alters their choices?
Why not talk with your kids about proper role models and help them to evaluate choices made by peers and other public personas? (Of course, “evaluate” is another way of saying “judge”, but it is proper judgment, IMO. It is judging the behavior, not the person.)
I think parents sometimes abdicate too much responsibility for being role models to those in popular media, which is a shame considering how much control we have over their behavior.
I think it’s cool that I can tell my kids that James Valentine of Maroon 5 passed the sacrament to us when he was a deacon and we lived in the same ward. But I make sure to point out that while he is a talented and popular musician, he’s not a role model to them. He’s just trying to do the best he can with the choices he has made.
I teach my kids that if someone drinks, or holds alcohol, it doesn’t make them bad or less of a person than ANYONE else. It wouldn’t matter to them if it was JC himself in the commercial, because I have taught my kids that we are all equals and that we shouldn’t judge others.
It doesn’t matter to them which band members or “celebrities” are members of a particular religion because we are all just people. I want my kids to be individuals, not making choices based on what others are doing or not doing.
Who cares what people choose to do….it really shouldn’t matter.
Thank you for your input. I’m glad we have this problem solved and can now move on to something worthy of our time.
I am extremely disapointed with Kirby Heyborne. I’m not condeming him to hell, but I do think it is ok to express my thoughts about Kirby’s decision. Even though Kirby doesn’t drink beer, I still think that promoting and endorsing it is wrong. I don’t understand why so many of these posts, particularly the ones from LDS people, are justifying Kirby’s decision. The way I see it,the prophets have told us not to watch R-rated movies because they contain immoral, profane, violent, and other images in them that offend the spirit of the Lord. Just because we might not actually do what we see in the movies doesn’t mean we should go watch R-rated movies. Kirby chose to promote beer. It wasn’t something he was obligated to do as when you work in a grocery store that sells beer as one of its products. It’s not like he is hard up for money, and even if he was does that make it right? Personally I think not. I would love to see an LDS actor who is a light to the world. Someone who doesn’t compromise his beliefs for money or whatever reason. I don’t think Kirby is an evil person, and I’m not saying that he is going to hell and I’m not. I’m simply expressing my thoughts. I have lost a great deal of respect for him.
No one is justifying his decision. We don’t need to. It isn’t ours to justify or not, and again he wasn’t breaking a commandment, whether he made a poor judgment choice is between him and the Lord, not he and his fan base.
everyone has spent alot of time attempting to condemn this young man for his judement in excepting the job with the Miller Light advertisers. We all agree he make a bad decision. I sure would like to hear Kirby’s side of the story. Not that it would make it right, but perhaps understandable.
Not everyone has condemned him and not everyone agrees he made a bad decision. That isn’t ours to make, as some of us are trying to say.
http://www.mormontimes.com/MITN_entertainment.php?id=1282
There is a little bit of Kirbys side. I heard part of an interview with a local radio commentor too. I can’t find a transcript of that though.
Ok so we have had a lot of discussion relating to the appearance of evil and whether or not Kirby made the right choice. I am interested in a different thread on this discussion. What about those individuals who make money directly from products contrary to the teachings of the church. For example I am a partner in a Chartered Accounting firm. What if one of my clients were a strip joint should I refuse to do their books because of my moral stance? What if I owned that strip joint? My life is not that exciting I am just curious as to your opinions.
Good question, Tyler. That’s what I was trying to get at in an earlier comment. As a carpet cleaner, I had bars as clients. They paid us in “beer money”. Should we have refused the work?
When I worked for a courier, I often delivered to a casino in town. They paid the company in “poker money”. Should I have refused those runs?
I’m glad the moderator of this forum asked for our thoughts. It is extremely important for each of us to evaluate whether or not we think someone else’s choice is correct or not so that we can make correct choices ourselves.
As a youth leader, I would never ever allow an actor who appeared in a beer commercial to speak at a youth fireside unless he very publicly apologized for his piss-poor judgment and shockingly poor example to the youth of the world (not just the Church); beer ads target teens all the time.
I’ve always felt that beer advertisers were partly accountable for all the teen drunk driving deaths. And I will now lump this actor in that mix. Beer advertisers and the actors who choose to help them sell their deadly product are the conspiring men and women that the Lord warned against in the D&C.
What was this dill-weed thinking?
Did I just use the word “dill-weed?” That’s strange. Hmm… I heard that word this afternoon on an AT&T radio ad… I guess commercials can be influential!! What do you know? That would explain why marketers are willing to spend billions of dollars on ads each year.
I don’t see that name calling serves any purpose. He’s still a fellow child of God.
Well, I guess it’s ok to own a strip joint. It’s not expressly forbidden as far as I can tell. As long as i’m not stripping or watching the strippers. I guess I could own a bar as well. As long as i’m not drinking. It would be hard to do porn, but as long as i’m not the one having sex or as long as I don’t watch people doing it, it’s ok.
I guess.
I find it extremely humorous that the parent of this post asked what people’s thoughts were about this commercial, and then proceeded to get up on her intellectual pedal stool to tell everyone that they’re wrong and judgmental (not that there isn’t truth there).
Why did you ask for people’s comments in the first place? You always seem to have to get the last word in with everyone. Seems more like you wanted to troll and flame, as opposed to really hearing the thoughts of others.
Just an observation. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s how it seems.
I find it extremely humourous that you think Kim was getting on a high horse (by completely misinterpreting words) and second of all that you automatically think he is a ‘she’. Also he hasn’t had the last word :)
I’d like to hear either Kim, Mary, or zMormon answer my question in #62 since they both claim that nothing he did would keep him from having a temple recommend.
Re #62 I don’t know what he answered, but wonder how the beer company is against the church in what particular? Not saying it isn’t or is. You would have to ask Kirby. He may not respond as I hear he is getting a lot of emails, but perhaps his assistant will if s/he is privy to Kirby’s private conversations with his Bishop or SP member.
That’s a different question than what I have been asked, JM. Nevertheless, if it were me in Kirby’s place and that specific question was asked of me, I would explain the situation and let the bishop make the call.
That being said, I don’t know that he affiliated with Miller, using a strict definition.
Regarding “supporting”, I think it is even less clear. One could argue that Miller supported Kirby since they paid him.