‘Calabasas Confidential’ star Lane Michaels talks about father Bret Michaels
‘Calabasas Confidential’ star Lane Michaels opens up about having rock star Bret Michaels as a father and what it’s like to receive advice from him.
Believe it or not, Beau Pettersson is usually quite camera shy.
It took a lot of persuasion for the “Dad’s Advice” TikTok star to start making videos with his daughter Emily Pettersson. Nearly six years after her first video went viral, and with 4.6 million followers, Beau Pettersson is still getting used to being recognized in public. And he definitely doesn’t want to know how many times his videos have been viewed. His daughter is keeping track of those logistics.
“Dad, he’s a very shy guy. He’s not the type of guy you’d expect to be in this role,” Emily Petterson said with a laugh.
But beyond offering advice on how to change a tire and other practical guides, the Petterssons are using social media to continue to hold out hope that Emily Pettersson will one day recover. In 2019, at age 28, the debilitating pain from her traumatic brain injury made it impossible for her to continue living a normal young adult life, so she decided to quit her dream job and return to her parents’ farm in Washington.
“The depression and the pain that she was in, obviously as a parent it was hard to see because there’s nothing you can really do,” said Beau Petterson, 67. At the time, he didn’t know what social media was, so he refused to appear on camera for a while. But one thing was clear to him. “She needed something.”
“The world needed him.”
Emily Petterson tried several treatments, most of which were painful, had long recovery times, and had poor results.
“Even though I was here, I started to feel sadder and sadder that the treatment wasn’t working,” she said. “I started to wonder what I was living for. I have no friends and I can’t work.”
Her therapist encouraged her to start doing something that brings her joy, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day. TikTok was gaining momentum at the time, so she asked her father if he could make a video with her.
He refused it at first. But one day, exhausted by her demands, he said OK. Emily Petterson went outside and asked him for advice. She recorded a video of him backing up his trailer, posted it on the app, and watched the likes and comments roll in.
“I think the world needed him at that time because his videos were just becoming popular,” she said.
Now, when making videos, Bo Pettersson focuses only on her daughter.
“It’s always just Emily and I, you know? It’s not like a studio with people standing around,” he said. “It’s always Emily and she’s very patient with me.”
Strangers from around the world are giving them hope.
In one of her early videos, Beau Pettersson mentioned her daughter’s brain injury and how difficult it had been for her since returning home. After that, I received a lot of advice. Emily Petterson said people have contacted her from all over the world offering different treatments.
“That’s the beauty of this place. It’s a place where ordinary people on remote farms can connect with other people,” she said. “It gave me purpose. But it also gave me the opportunity to keep trying treatments and keep trying treatments.”
The Petterssons say the money they make from the videos helps pay for expensive medical treatment.
“Nothing is working right now,” Bo Pettersson said. “But we’re holding out hope that there’s some doctor out there who’s done some research and has a magic wand.”
“We also feel a kinship,” her daughter added. “Science is progressing really fast right now, so even if the cure hasn’t been invented yet, there could be a cure next month.”
Beau Pettersson said her family would never have known all of these possibilities if it weren’t for the community they built on TikTok. “It was life-changing for us,” he said. And most of all, I love having my daughter home.
“Dads aren’t supposed to have a favorite, but my favorite has always been her,” he said. “So it’s great to have her here, to have her at my feet, to see her every night and every morning.”
If you or someone you know is suffering or in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or 988.
Madeline Mitchell’s role covering women and the care economy for USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Contact Madeline at memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_.
