Steven McBee Jr. is making changes to the McBee family business while his father, Steve McBee Sr., serves a federal prison sentence. The “The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys” star announced a rebrand of the family podcast and explained how he and his brothers are restructuring their businesses during a period of transition.
The update comes after a challenging year for the family, which was documented during season 2 of the Bravo reality series.
Steven McBee Jr. Explains Why the Podcast Is Rebranding
On December 9, Steven announced that the family podcast “Meet the McBees” is being renamed “More Than McBee.” He said the original name was closely tied to the success of “The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys” and the attention the show brought.
“Because, in my opinion, with ‘Meet the McBees,’ I don’t want to say it was an ego-driven podcast,” Steven said. “But the entire reason we named it ‘Meet the McBees’ was because we knew a lot of the traffic, a lot of the eyeballs that we were getting is because of the TV show, rightfully so.”
Steven said the rebrand allows the podcast to move beyond episode recaps and personal updates.
“For me, I have so many passions outside those two things,” he said.
While the podcast will still include show recaps and life updates, Steven said listeners can expect broader conversations.
“Yes, we’re going to recap episodes. Yes, we’re going to give you life updates in our world,” he said. “It just gives us the opportunity to expand and have fresh, new, exciting content. And, candidly, it puts the focus more on the topics at hand rather than the McBees.”
How the Family Is Running the Business Without Steve Sr.
The podcast update comes as the McBee brothers assume greater responsibility across the family’s operations. During season 2, Steven, Jesse McBee, Cole McBee, and Brayden McBee worked to manage McBee Farm & Cattle Co. while their father faced legal issues.
In October, Steve Sr. was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of crop insurance fraud.
“By the time my dad gets out, our businesses are going to be in the best shape they’ve ever been in,” Steven said.
He added that CFO Galyna Saltkovska and the brothers’ mother, Kristi McBee, are playing key roles.
“This is a team effort we’re putting into these companies,” Steven said. “A lot of times when my dad was here working, if (expletive) really hit the fan, you could always just call my dad as the ultimate trump card.”
With Steve Sr. incarcerated in South Dakota, Steven said the family has adjusted its leadership structure.
“I think that we were too dependent on him for the major, major problem-solving skills,” he said. “This has given us the opportunity to step up, lead by committee, and for each of us to find our own strengths within the companies.”
Steven noted that Brayden has taken on a larger leadership role with the family’s car wash operations, while the brothers continue to oversee their farm-raised meats and tallow businesses.
Steve McBee Sr. Shares a Message From Prison
Earlier this month, Cole shared a message from his father via Instagram. Speaking alongside fiancée Kacie Adkison and daughter Blair, Cole read a note from Steve Sr.
“He wanted to say his sincerest thank you for all the thoughts and prayers,” Cole said.
Cole explained that his father is adjusting to prison life and stays busy with work and classes.
“Obviously, he is in federal prison; it’s not great,” Cole said. “But he’s a very optimistic person, and he takes it one day at a time.”
“The McBee Family Dynasty” is currently shooting season 3. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Peacock.
