Budweiser's Father's Day Tribute to Stepdads Has a Surprising, Emotional Twist

Maressa Brown
Updated

June 14, 2019

Just like every family is unique, so too is every family's celebration of Father's Day. Those are two facts that Budweiser managed to zero in on in a truly heartwarming way with their latest ad, which has quickly gone viral. The short film follows three sets of stepfathers and grown-up stepkids and ends with a tear-jerkingly twist for all of the families.

Stepdaughter Shaelyn first met her stepdad Paul 28 years ago when she was a self-confessed "fiery little brat." Now, the two bond over shared work ethic and fishing.

Stepson Victor didn't have a close relationship with his biological dad, but then he met his stepfather Mark, who showed him what a dad really is. "Watching Victor grow, watching the person he's become, has been amazing," Mark says in the film. "To think that maybe I've had a little bit of influence on that has been awesome."

Chloe used to fantasize about her parents getting back together and was initially resentful of her stepdad Randy coming into her mom's life, but soon, she realized that what she had always been wanting in a father figure was right there in front of her. "Everything that my actual biological father promised that he would do, you actually came through and did," she tells him in the spot.

While each of these adult stepkids has had their own journey, they've all arrived at the same conclusion: that they want to be adopted by their beloved stepfather.

Check out the clip below, but be prepared to tear up.

The heartwarming ad—which has already wracked up over a million views on YouTube since it was initially posted on June 12—was created to "shine an unexpected light on fatherhood," Monica Rustgi, vice president of marketing for Budweiser, told TODAY Food by email. "Budweiser is toasting stepfathers who love their stepchildren like their own."

But they're not stopping with mere celebration. Budweiser is also encouraging people to tell their own stories on social media. For every comment the film receives across social media through June 16, the company has pledged to donate $1 to the Stepfamily Foundation, a nonprofit that supports blended families. Budweiser will donate up to $10,000 total.

Cheers to that and to men who've become wonderful dads in a variety of ways.