Who is Scumbag Dad? Meet the Iowa orthodontist behind the viral TikTok parody account

Jay Stahl, Des Moines Register
·3 min read

This is one in an occasional series on Iowa influencers who are finding new ways to tell the story of the state through social media.

The internet's anti-father figure perused the Merle Hay Mall shortly before Christmas.

But Brad Podray wasn't picking up last-minute presents. He was scouting locations to shoot content.

Brad Podray, known as Scumbag Dad on social media, poses for a photo in his orthodontics office in Ankeny.
Brad Podray, known as Scumbag Dad on social media, poses for a photo in his orthodontics office in Ankeny.

Podray is the innovator behind Scumbag Dad, the viral influencer who is using online videos to parody other internet creators. By trade, he is an Ankeny orthodontist and is a new dad.

As Scumbag Dad, Podray boasts 5.8 million TikTok followers, around 3.5 million YouTube subscribers and more than 500,000 Instagram followers.

Podray is bringing attention to the Hawkeye State as one of the most followed accounts on TikTok in Iowa.

"I never say I'm not from Iowa. I'm always like, 'I'm an Iowan. That's where my family is. That's where I practice. This is our home,'" Podray told the Register.

'I love Korean dad': How Podray uses fellow influencers to create parodies

Four years ago, Podray and his wife, the visual artist Hannah Sung, were attending a party. Sung, who is Korean, said she loved "Your Korean Dad," the compassionate internet character played by coffee company owner Nick Cho.

"She was like, 'I love Korean Dad. He's so kind and wholesome and sweet.' and I'm like, 'You know, it'd be funny is if you were evil and you were a more relatable, more realistic dad,'" Podray said about Scumbag Dad's inception.

Brad Podray and his wife, Hannah Sung, at one of their Airbnb properties in 2019.
Brad Podray and his wife, Hannah Sung, at one of their Airbnb properties in 2019.

So, Podray created a career combatting TikTok characters known for their compassion with Scumbag Dad, a super mean version of the internet's father figure. He wanted to make a mockery of the viral sensations.

“Scumbag Dad represents a way to sneak in social commentary under the guise of weird jokes,” he said.

And slowly, he gained millions of followers. But Podray hit minor snags along the way. TikTok has censored some of his posts due to their controversial nature with humor that can offend certain audiences. Podray collaborates with Sung to create ideas for Scumbag Dad.

How Brad Podray develops Scumbag Dad ideas for massive TikTok audience

Podray has more than 265 milion all-time likes on his TikTok videos so far.

In his popular viral videos, Podray parodies "true kindness" videos where influencers hand out cash to strangers and businesses. One Scumbag Dad video has 1.4 million likes and 12 million views on TikTok with a mockery of "true kindness" with staff members from the Joppa Experience, the Chicago-style food stand then located at Merle Hay Mall.

At Merle Hay Mall, on the Saturday before Christmas, Podray was joined again by a host of guests to help film skits. They included TikTok megastar Kommander Karl, the militaristic character with more than 3 million followers.

As Podray walked near the mall's food court, he occasionally stopped to pose for photos with shoppers. And he listed off ideas on the fly to his posse: stand by that merchant, run outside and post up near a gumball machine.

Then, Podray returned to create a video skit while playing pickleball at the mall's new Dinks Pickleball. The video received more than 65,000 views in just three days.

What's next for Scumbag Dad's decadeslong dream?

Brad Podray, known as Scumbag Dad on social media, poses for a photo in his orthodontics office in Ankeny.
Brad Podray, known as Scumbag Dad on social media, poses for a photo in his orthodontics office in Ankeny.

Next, Podray hopes to bring his Iowa creativity to the silver screen with a show on Hulu, Netflix or cable.

“That's sort of like the artistic goal is to see if we can get to that level because I've been trying this since I was 15 years old,” Podray said.

But he will need to change his content for a more family-friendly audience to appeal to studios and networks. For now, Podray still sees patients once a month.

And he’s focused on being a Scumbag — and real — dad.

Where to find and follow Scumbag Dad, Brad Podray

Known for: Parodying internet creators on TikTok

Day job: Orthodontist in Ankeny, Iowa

TikTok: @TheScumbagDad with 5.8 million followers

Instagram: ScumbagDadOfficial with 560,000 followers

YouTube: @ScumbagDad with 3.7 million followers

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: TikTok's Scumbag Dad is really an Iowa orthodontist: Meet Brad Podray