Steve McBee Jr. Reveals Dad’s Secret Life in Prison: His Biggest Shell Shock Exposed

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Steven McB Jr. Opens Up About His Father’s Life in Federal Prison: “His Identity Is His Inmate Number”

Steven McB Jr. is speaking candidly about one of the most difficult chapters his family has ever faced—the incarceration of his father, Steve McB Senior.

On the December 10 episode of the family’s Meet the McBes podcast, the eldest McB brother reflected on the reality of watching the man who once led their family and business enter federal prison.

“It’s so strange to think that my dad has been humbled down to the point where his identity is his inmate number,” Steven Jr. said.

Steve McB Senior is currently serving a two-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2024 to a multi-million-dollar federal crop insurance fraud. As the family navigates life without its patriarch at the helm, Steven Jr. has chosen transparency—sharing not only how they stay connected, but how the experience has reshaped him.

Staying Connected From the Outside

Steven Jr. admitted that prison communication was something he never imagined navigating.

“As far as communication with my dad goes, I never thought I’d have this experience,” he explained. “I have an app on my phone now called Corrlinks where you communicate with inmates.”

The routine is simple but meaningful: one message every night.

“He sends one email every single night. He tells me what he’s been doing, and I write back with updates on the farm and the family.”

Those messages have become a lifeline—brief, practical notes from a man determined not to let prison define him.

“He’ll tell me about his job, what book he’s reading, or how cold it was that day. Then he asks about the cows, the girls, the farm. It’s still dad—just contained.”

The Day Everything Changed

Steve Senior surrendered to the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, South Dakota, on December 1, roughly 300 miles from the family’s home in Gallatin, Missouri. Steven Jr. and his family made the drive together.

“We all drove up to South Dakota,” he said. “That was one of the hardest days of my life. I put it up there with losing my grandpa when I was a senior in high school.”

Watching his father surrender his personal belongings—cowboy hat, wallet, necklace, cell phone—was particularly jarring.

“He walked in with nothing but the shirt on his back,” Steven Jr. said. “It was a humbling experience. I’ll just say 2025 is full of one-off experiences I hope I never go through again.”

The drive home was worse.

“The truck was quiet. No radio. No talking about cattle prices or weather. When we crossed back into Missouri, it really hit me. Dad wasn’t at the office. He wasn’t out checking cattle. He was gone.”

Adjusting to Prison Life

According to Steven Jr., his father didn’t spend much time imagining prison life beforehand—choosing instead to stay busy and compartmentalize. That reality made the adjustment harder.

“The food aspect was the biggest shell shock,” Steven Jr. revealed. “But honestly, being away from family—that’s been the hardest part.”

Those highs and lows, he said, will be fully explored in season three of The McB Dynasty: Real American Cowboys.

At BravoCon 2025, Steven Jr. teased that the new season would center on survival and legacy.

“Really, it’s about us uniting and making sure we can save the farm for the next generation,” he said, referencing his nieces—Cole and Casey Atkinson’s daughter Blair Collins McB and Jesse and Ally McB’s daughter Summer Lee McB.

Forced Into Leadership

With Steve Senior gone, the weight of McB Farm & Cattle Co. shifted instantly onto the brothers.

“There’s no easing into it anymore,” Steven Jr. admitted. “Payroll matters. Weather matters. Markets matter. And if you screw up, there’s no safety net.”

Each brother stepped into the void differently. Jesse became hyper-focused on expenses and transparency. Cole concentrated on efficiency and logistics. Braden, the youngest, surprised everyone by becoming the emotional anchor—checking in on everyone and insisting on weekly family dinners.

“We realized pretty fast that if we didn’t stay united, the whole thing could fall apart,” Steven Jr. said. “Dad always preached that. Now we were living it.”

Public Judgment and Private Growth

The family also had to contend with public scrutiny.

“People question your integrity, your work ethic, your last name,” Steven Jr. said. “You have to remind yourself you’re still the same person you were before all this.”

For Steven Jr., grounding came through routine. He wakes before sunrise, works the land, and ends each night responding to that single Corrlinks message.

Those exchanges often include encouragement from his father.

“He doesn’t dwell,” Steven Jr. explained. “He owns what happened, but he’s already thinking about how we come out stronger.”

Steve Senior has reportedly enrolled in educational programs while incarcerated and urges his sons to think decades ahead—not just season to season.

A Legacy Redefined

Cameras captured everything for season three: tense meetings, tearful conversations, and moments the family once would have kept private.

“There were days I didn’t want cameras around,” Steven Jr. admitted. “But if we were going to tell this story, we had to tell all of it.”

Watching his brothers with their children brought clarity.

“When you look at your kid, you stop thinking about pride. You think about stability. Legacy. Not repeating mistakes.”

Saving the farm, he said, isn’t just financial—it’s cultural.

“There’s no guarantee. Farming never promises you anything. But quitting isn’t an option.”

Finding Peace in the Uncertainty

Over time, Steven Jr. noticed himself changing—more patient, more confident, more decisive.

“I think dad being gone forced me to become the man he always believed I could be,” he said. “I just wish it didn’t have to happen this way.”

Still, there is hope.

Steve Senior often tells his sons that watching them hold the farm together during his absence will be his greatest pride.

“He told me once, ‘If you boys can hold this together without me, then I did my job.’”

As 2025 unfolds, the McBs continue living in the in-between—between accountability and redemption, loss and resilience.

“We didn’t choose this,” Steven McB Jr. said. “But we’re choosing how we respond to it. And that’s something dad would respect.”

The road ahead remains uncertain. But for the first time since that long drive to South Dakota, Steven Jr. feels something close to peace—not because the situation is easy, but because his family, battered and humbled, is still moving forward.