‘The Busch Family Brewed’: The Family Behind MTV’s Newest Reality Series Is Worth $13.4 Billion
MTV’s newest reality TV stars come with an impressive pedigree. The Busch Family Brewed, which premieres Thursday, March 5, features the descendants of the Busch family, who founded one of Amerca’s best-known breweries: Anheuser-Busch.
The Busch family lost control of the company that makes Budweiser back in 2008, when it was sold to InBev. But they haven’t given up the beer business entirely. Billy Busch Sr. — the great-grandson of beer giant Adolphus Busch — is following in his successful relative’s footsteps and breaking ground on a craft brewery. But with nine family members under one roof, will the Busch family be able to control the chaos and find success?
‘The Busch Family Brewed’: Meet the cast
In addition to patriarch Billy Busch Sr., The Busch Family Brewed stars eight other members of the Busch family. Viewers will also meet Billy’s wife Christi and the couple’s seven children, who range in age from 13 to 28. There’s Billy Jr., “the responsible one”; Haley, “the sweet one”; Abbey, “the wild child”; Gussie, “the ladies’ man”; Grace, “the blunt one”; Maddie, “the wise one”; and Peter, “the baby.”
As the Buschs break ground on a new brewery on their 700-acre estate near St. Louis, they also have to contend with break-ups and big moves as they try to cement the family’s beer-brewing legacy.
The Busch family is worth $13.4 billion
The Busch family may no longer own the brewery that made them a household name in America, but they walked away from the business with a substantial fortune. According to Forbes, the entire clan was worth an estimated $13.4 billion in 2016, making them one of the 20 richest families in the U.S.
But that billion-dollar fortune comes with a bit of an asterisk. About 30 members of the Busch family share the fortune, the magazine points out. Still, even split 30 ways, $13 billion is a lot of money.
Billy Busch Sr. did not run his family brewing empire, but he did found the William K. Busch Brewing Company in 2011. That company went out of business in 2011.
What we know about the cast of ‘The Busch Family Brewed’
Beer definitely seems to be in the blood in the Busch family. Teasers for the series show dad Billy doing a beer bong, mom Christi dancing on a bar, and son Gussie pouring beer on his shirtless chest.
Based on his Instagram, Gussie — who seems poised to become the breakout star of the show — is also an avid hunter, as is his brother Billy Jr. Maddie Busch is an actress who appeared in the 2015 film Marshall’s Miracle. Older sister Haley is also an actress who has appeared in 23 Minutes to Sunrise and The Importance of Doubting Tom. Grace is an equestrian jumper, while Abbey had ditched St. Louis for the sunnier weather in Florida. Youngest son Peter is the spoiled baby of the family.
While the trailers for the MTV show paint the Buschs as a fun-loving all-American family, the Busch dynasty has faced numerous scandals and tragedies over the years. They include the death by suicide of Anhueser-Busch CEO August Anheuser Busch Sr in 1934, the overdose death of former CEO August Busch IV’s girlfriend at his home in 2010, and a fatal shooting of a friend by a Busch family member at the family’s estate in 1976. More recently, Billy Sr. was charged with assaulting a sixth-grader at his son’s basketball practice. He was accused of grabbing the 11-year-old and pushing him into a wall. He pleaded guilty in 2018.
The Busch Family Brewed premieres Thursday, March 5 at 9/8c on MTV.
