What is Billy Busch’s net worth?
Billy Busch Sr. is an American businessman and reality television personality who has a net worth of $200 million. Billy Busch earned his fortune as a member of the world-famous Busch beer family. In 2020 Billy and his family starred in an MTV reality series called “The Busch Family Brewed.” The show aired 10 episodes over one season. Although he never worked for the family business, Billy Busch Sr. founded his own beer company Kräftig in 2011, but it closed in 2019.
After a series of personal and business falling-outs with various Busch family members, Billy was banned from Grant’s Farm, the family estate where the company’s famous Clydesdale Horses are kept, and he reportedly has no relationship with his siblings or half-siblings.
In August 2023 Billy made a few headlines during a book tour for his just-released book “Family Reigns: The Extraordinary Rise and Epic Fall of an American Dynasty.” During his book tour Billy told several outlets that he would be interested in buying Bud Light away from InBev in the wake of its notorious 2023 PR disaster which caused sales to plummet.
Anheuser Busch
William K. Busch was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1959. He is the great grandson of Adolphus Busch.
Adolphus Busch was a German-born American businessman who co-founded Anheuser-Busch, which eventually became one of the largest breweries in the world. Adolphus was born in Mainz, Germany, in 1839, the youngest of 21 children. His father was a wine merchant and brewer. In 1857, Adolphus emigrated to the United States to join his older brother, Carl, who had settled in St. Louis, Missouri.
Adolphus worked as a brewer’s apprentice for a few years before marrying Lilly Anheuser, the daughter of Eberhard Anheuser, the owner of the Anheuser Brewery. In 1865, Adolphus became a partner in the brewery. He quickly introduced a number of innovations that helped to make the company successful, including the use of refrigerated railroad cars to transport beer, the bottling of beer, and the pasteurization of beer to keep it fresh.
In 1876, Adolphus launched Budweiser, a light lager beer that became one of the most popular beers in the United States. Under his leadership, Anheuser-Busch grew into a major international brewery. He also became a philanthropist, donating money to a number of educational and charitable organizations.
Adolphus Busch died in 1913. He was succeeded by his son, August Busch Sr., who continued to grow the company. The Busch family remained in control of Anheuser-Busch until 2008, when it was acquired by InBev.
Some of Adolphus Busch’s notable relatives include:
- August Busch Sr. (son): President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch from 1913 to 1934.
- August Busch Jr. (grandson): President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch from 1946 to 1975.
- August Busch III (great-grandson): President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch from 1975 to 1985.
- August Busch IV (great-great-grandson): President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch from 1985 to 2002.
Billy Busch is one of 11 children born to August “Gussie” Busch Jr (highlighted in red above). Gussie owned the St. Louis Cardinals. Anheuser-Busch eventually became the team owners and in 1995 sold the organization for $150 million.
Billy was the half-uncle of August Busch IV (highlighted in green above), who turned out to be the last of the Busch family to lead the company.
Family Wealth
Over the course of multiple transactions between 1989 and 2008, the Busch family sold 25% of Anheuser-Busch to various investors. In 2008 the company was acquired by Belgian-Brazilian company InBev for $52 billion. The family was adamantly opposed to the sale, but by this point their collective equity wasn’t a majority and they could not sway enough fellow investors to oppose the deal.
Today the extended Busch family (which is comprised of hundreds of people) is worth a collective $17 billion. They are one of the wealthiest families in America.
Though Billy Busch is frequently referred to as a billionaire, by our estimation his net worth not in the 9-figure range.
Kräftig
In 2011 Billy and his immediate family launched a brewery called Kräftig. The company was shuttered in 2019
Billy Busch and Christi Busch (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)
Personal Life
Billy has seven children with his wife Christi Busch. Billy has an eighth child from a previous relationship. In 1988 Billy was involved in a somewhat high-profile and bitter custody battle with the mother of this child. Billy was ultimately awarded full custody. Years later this child, a daughter named Scarlett, published on Facebook that her childhood was marked by “neglect and abandonment” further asking”
“What kind of man after dismissing his oldest daughter uses family nobility and honor as a way to shine his rusty halo in the public eye?“
Scarlett did not partake in the family’s reality series.
11-Year-Old Assault Incident
In 2018, when he was in his late 50s, Billy pleaded guilty to a peace disturbance charge after he was accused of grabbing an 11 year old boy and pushing him into a wall. The boy and Billy’s son, who were on the same basketball team, got into an argument during practice. During the argument Billy allegedly grabbed the other boy and pushed him into the wall of the gymnasium and yelled:
“You fucker! What do you fucking think you’re fucking doing to my fucking kid?”
He would later claim he was protecting his kid from being bullied.
This was actually the second time Billy was charged with assault. In 1982 he was accused of reaching from his car into a fast food restaurant drive-thru window to punch the employee. He was acquitted of these charges at trial.
Real Estate
Billy Busch’s primary home is a 6,300 square foot mansion on 4.5 acres in Ladue, Missouri.
Outside of the city they also own a 700-acre farm which features a large lake for boats and jet skis, in addition to farm animals including more than 50 horses.
Grant’s Farm
Since 1903, members of the Busch family have owned an estate called Grant’s Farm. The family purchased the estate in 1903 from President Ulysses S. Grant. This farm is home to the famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses. After losing a bitter family fight over control of the farm, Billy was banished from setting foot on the property.
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