TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney is responding to anti-transgender backlash over her deals with Bud Light and Nike.

Speaking on the podcast “Onward with Rosie O’Donnell,” Mulvaney 26, said the criticism comes from those who don’t know her or understand her life. The conversation was reported on Insider.

“I think it comes back to the fact that these people, they don’t understand me, and anything that I do or say somehow gets taken out of context and is used against me,” she said. “It’s so sad because everything I try to put out is positive. It’s trying to connect with others that maybe don’t understand me. It’s to make people laugh, or to make a kid feel seen.”

Both brands have defended partnering with Mulvaney.

Mulvaney said she also feels the criticism has to do with the fact her transition is new.

“The reason I think I’m an easy target is because I’m still new to this,” Mulvaney said. “I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult. Maybe they think there’s some sort of chance with me that they can but I mean, what is their goal?”

READ MORE: Travis Tritt, Kid Rock boycott Bud Light over transgender model; Jason Isbell claps back

Despite the criticism, Mulvaney said she feels her transition has been worth it.

“I wake up every day a little bit happier than I was before,” she said.

Controversy over the endorsements erupted recently when celebrities such as Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, Travis Tritt and John Rich spoke out against the beer brand’s backing of Mulvaney, with Kid Rock going as far as filming himself shooting cases of Bud Light.