Josh Duhamel Wants Men to Stop Settling for Shoes That Don’t Fit, Joins STOKE Shoes as Partner
Josh Duhamel has played soldiers, cops, cowboys, and action heroes on screen. But his latest role is a lot more relatable — the guy who just wants his shoes to fit. The actor, who wears a wide width himself, is joining STOKE Shoes as a brand partner, backing the sneaker brand engineered for the 97 million American men with wide feet.
How it started
Duhamel didn't come to STOKE looking for a partnership. He came looking for shoes that didn't hurt. After discovering the brand, he made STOKE part of his everyday rotation, on and off set, and believed enough in the mission, team, and vision behind it to take things a step further.
"I got tired of paying over 200 bucks for sneakers that made my feet hurt. I'm on my feet all day and STOKE are the only shoes I wear. Easily the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned," Josh comments.
Why STOKE, why now
For Duhamel, this isn't just about liking the product — it's about the problem STOKE is built to solve. Men with wide feet have historically had to trade off comfort, fit, or style just to find something that works. STOKE takes the opposite approach: building shoes from the ground up around wider men's feet, instead of scaling up a standard last and calling it a day.
Straight from our CMO
"Josh didn't need us to convince him to wear STOKE — he was already wearing them," said Ian Stewart, Chief Marketing Officer at STOKE Shoes. "What made this partnership perfect is that he believes in what we're building. He sees the size of the problem, believes in our team, and wants to help us solve it at scale."
What's next
As part of the partnership, Josh will star in a series of social content campaigns — starting with a question that's more universal than it should be: why are so many guys still wearing sneakers that don't fit?
The bigger picture
The partnership lands as STOKE continues to challenge a footwear category that's long treated width as an afterthought. The brand builds purpose-built wide and extra-wide footwear across E/2E through 3E/4E, backed by proprietary technologies including Big Ball Girth™, Mansplay™ Midsole, and PowerStack™ cushioning.
Founded in 2025 in Georges Mills, New Hampshire, STOKE is built for the 75% of guys — 97 million American men — with wide feet, and has grown to more than 450 retail doors nationwide alongside its DTC business.
Follow Josh's journey — now in properly fitting shoes — on Instagram: @joshduhamel