Many ads nowadays feel bland, lifeless, and overly polished by corporate hands. They are stripped of any personality or soul, blending into one another until they become entirely forgettable. But every so often, you stumble across something different. If you are lucky, that “something different” can be creative and worthwhile. Unfortunately, that was far from the case with the recent advertisement from Meagher Bar in Missoula, Montana.
The bar has been facing intense backlash after releasing a promotional video that many have described as disturbing and completely inappropriate. In the video, the establishment seems to think it is acceptable, if not humorous, to make light of women being kidnapped.
The footage features two female actresses acting out the scenario. It begins with one woman hiding behind a large dumpster, suddenly leaping out and ambushing another woman. After covering her mouth with a cloth and knocking her unconscious, the first woman drags the limp body into the bar. Inside, she places the unconscious woman into a chair and forces her to play casino games.
It is safe to say this is one of the strangest and most unsettling attempts at promotion in recent memory. Even if you set aside the questionable decision to link gambling and abduction in the first place, the ad’s tone and concept struck a nerve.
Many people online, especially Reddit users in the r/Missoula subreddit, found it completely insensitive. One user summed it up by pointing out that this kind of content reflects a deeply unhealthy culture surrounding the bar, one that could be dangerous, especially for women in a city already notorious for its troubling reputation.
The backlash grew so severe that Meagher Bar quietly deleted the ad from all its social media accounts. But for many, that only underscored just how misguided their decision had been in the first place.
One frustrated Redditor wrote, “Where was the joke? Like, what were we supposed to laugh at? This is so messed up from top to bottom. That place needs a management cleanse. Not just because the food is bad, but the last two times I went, the bartenders ignored me, and one of them was clearly a manager. This place sucks at every level. As far as I am concerned, it is closed.”
Surprisingly, one of the owners of Meagher Bar in Missoula responded directly to the Reddit post. In their comment, they issued a public apology for the ad, admitting that it was offensive and gross. They explained that the video had been created the previous afternoon or evening and was loosely based on a viral TikTok reel, but they acknowledged that this was no excuse for their lack of awareness regarding the larger and deeply troubling implications of the content.
The owner wrote, “I have had a long conversation with our management this morning about understanding what constitutes humor and what does not. This video is explicitly not funny, and it is likely trauma-inducing for a lot of people. I can’t apologize enough.”
