For the Love of Feet! An Interview with Dr. Brad Schaeffer

Podiatrist Dr. Brad Schaeffer might have achieved celebrity fame by being the handsome doctor on TLC’s hit series My Feet Are Killing Me, but over the summer, he gained several more fans by coming out publicly and sharing his story.

In an interview with Today, the article noted that Schaeffer has been comfortably out in his personal life for some time. However, because the show focuses on his patients and their feet, he never had the opportunity to open up about the subject during the show’s four seasons. Circumstances began to change, such as people Googling Schaeffer’s marital status, and he simply felt like this was the right time.

The doctor took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for OFM.

I would like to begin by asking a question I’m sure you have been asked several times. What drove you to this kind of profession? Did you always aspire to be a podiatrist?

That’s a good question, and I do get asked that a lot. Look, I didn’t just grow up wanting to treat feet. They can be cute and sexy, but they can sometimes be pretty gross. I played a good amount of sports growing up, and I had a podiatrist in my hometown. Whenever I injured my ankle, I would always go to this guy. He would strap me up and get me back to playing ball, and I started to really think highly of foot doctors. When it came time to pick a field, I said, this seems right up my alley, so I explored it.

We can watch you on the TLC series My Feet Are Killing Me. How did the idea for this show come about, and what made you want to be involved?

Dr. Pimple Popper, or Dr. Sandra Lee, she was really blowing up for a while on YouTube and different things like that. TLC picked up her show and signed her, and she did very well. So, they started asking around, what would be the next wild thing that would draw attention for people? Like I said, feet can be cute and sexy, but they are sometimes pretty darn disgusting. They can really bring a lot of shock factor to viewers.

There are a lot of times where we can just cover up our feet. Whether you have a bunion, gross toes, or different things going on down there, socks and shoes can easily cover that shame up, but that’s why a lot of those foot issues don’t get treated properly. So, when people started noticing that there’s a show about feet, they started seeing that there are other people out there experiencing the exact same thing.

People are watching for the shock; they’re watching because it’s a transformation show, and you’re getting to experience the journey of the patient. It’s pretty remarkable, and I’m having a great time.

Season 4 recently wrapped up. Any word on if there will be a Season 5?

Fingers crossed! We’re waiting to film, and there are mergers in TV right now, so I think we’re just patiently waiting to be picked up like any other TV show. I’m looking forward to doing more.

Is there a particular case that has shocked you the most?

Yes. Season 1, episode one. They came out swinging! The guy’s name was David, and he did not look at his feet for years. He did nothing with his toenails, corns, and calluses, and I was pretty blown away when I took off his socks. The nails were curling; it was nuts. He also had other things going on, so I had to manage those issues as well. If you cut him, he would bleed profusely. There was a lot of stress that went into that.

Do you find it at all nerve-wracking to perform surgery with cameras around?

Yes, absolutely. You get used to it, but the first few times, it was like, man, you’re literally under a microscope. Not only thousands of people watching, but you’re under the microscope of other doctors as well. They’re looking at technique, how you were trained, and maybe they would or wouldn’t do that. People have different ways of doing things. Not everything is like the textbook says. You kind of have to troubleshoot, so a lot of people have different opinions. I take it all with a grain of salt.

What would you say is the most rewarding part about your job?

People walk into your office in pain, and when you can treat them and see them walk out of your office with a smile and out of pain, that is hands-down the best part. Knowing that you changed their lives a little bit, it’s unbelievable. It sounds hokey to say, but why else would you want to be a doctor? With podiatry, you kind of get that immediate gratification. We can take care of a toenail or heel pain that you may have been dealing with for months and years.

I would now like to ask some questions about your coming out. Even though you’ve been out for the last decade in your personal life, you decided to announce it publicly in June. Why did you feel this was the time to tell the world that you’re gay?

Great question, and there’s two reasons. The first reason was, I’m on the show with a couple other females. Dr. Ebonie and Dr. Sarah. For whatever reason, the media and people online really started to look at Sarah and I’s relationship. They’re like, is there a love interest going on? I’ve always been transparent with friends, family, patients, anyone that spoke to me, and I kind of saw that the narrative was getting switched a little bit.

When I came out, I was like, I’m never going to be anything but open, honest, and hopefully a good rep for our community, but at that moment, I wasn’t being truthful because that wasn’t what the media was portraying. It was like, OK, something’s got to change here. Pride month was coming up, and I knew that was the time to tell my story the way I wanted it to be told. Also, I felt like this could actually help, which brings me to the second reason.

The “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida really threw me for a loop. I never thought that we would be going back, as we recently saw with abortion. Who knows what’s going to happen, but it hurt me and really hit me hard. Some people can say it means this or doesn’t mean that, but it’s hateful rhetoric, and that’s hurting young people. It’s so messed up, and I wish that I had representation as a young kid. Seeing two dads in a cartoon, that stuff matters. It’s just such a shame. So, yeah, it was those two things.

Coming out publicly, do you feel like a giant weight has been lifted off your shoulders?

No, and the only reason I say that is because I’ve had 10 years to get that weight off. If you would have gotten me during year one, yeah, that was a crazy year (laughs). The weight that’s been lifted is knowing that I’m representing in an appropriate way that can hopefully help, and if people ever want to ask questions, I’m here to do that. Representation matters just as much as anybody in our community, and it’s about time more people step up, discuss, and have an open forum and dialogue.

How has the public response been?

Pretty spectacular. Of course, you’re going to have haters out there, but my response has been pretty well received. I think a lot of people in this day and age, they’re like, why are you doing it? Why is this important? In my mind, it’s because there’s still so much more work to do. People think the fight is over and we won, but the fight is not over. Hence the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Hence abortion, which we thought was over and put the bed, as all the justices said when they were sworn in. So, it’s clearly not over.

When somebody comes out, if it affects one person, or 100, that’s 100 more people that weren’t affected before. I’m a doctor; I was athletic growing up; I play into different stereotypes, and if someone sees me and is like, I relate to that guy, that’s great. I’m proud to play into that. I sometimes feel like the media portrays LGBTQ people in one way. We’re all different, unique, and beautiful, so show those different facets of it. That’s why I think it’s important because I sometimes don’t fit into this box. They’re all beautiful, and I wish all the boxes would merge together into one big human box. Like, why is it so hard?

What about your family and friends when you initially came out to them? I read the Today article, which said you grew up in a very religious household.

There were a lot of tears from certain members of my family, and there were a lot of tears because I was also married. They loved my wife. She was a member of the family. They knew that was essentially going to end, and it would be a change. My friends, on the other hand, were freaking awesome. I didn’t have one friend be like, “You’re awful, or, “I’m never going to talk to you again,” and I was prepared for that. For your overall happiness, you need to be prepared to lose people that aren’t going to accept and understand. Some people out there just don’t.

Care to tell us more about your partner, Sean?

Yes, absolutely. Sean is a guy that I met in Hoboken, New Jersey. I was in residency at the time, struggling and still married. He was also married, but you can tell when someone is attracted to you. We had a lot of back-and-forth dialogue, and he was an older guy with two boys who were just entering college. Obviously, they’re older now, and I love them very much, but Sean was actually the catalyst for me.

He was kind of like the lightning strike that allowed me to be like, you’re not struggling. You’re just figuring out who you are in your journey. It’s not negative; you’re not fighting with anyone or anything; you’re just figuring out who you are and how to be a better version of yourself. Playing a role as a straight, Christian athlete, it’s like, why am I continuing to act this way? It was hurting me inside. Sean was the lightning bolt that showed me that I’m gay, and that’s OK.

Once I found that, I was determined to keep that lightning in a bottle and figure out where to go with it. I knew that I never wanted to act that way because it just wasn’t who I was. He made me realize my authentic self, and he has been amazing in every way. I’m grateful we’re still together to this day.

You were also a finalist on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s The Titan Games. What was that experience like?

Oh, it was awesome! Training for something like that, like American Ninja Warrior type stuff, the training was insane. I work out, but working out like that was a whole different level. I like competing in basically anything that I do, so this was right up my alley. I was really thankful to be chosen for it. They really wanted to hammer out everyday people, and me being a regular everyday doctor, it was a lot of fun. I won a couple competitions, which was even better because I thought I was going to get bounced from that thing in round one (laughs).

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career and platform?

I hope more seasons of My Feet Are Killing Me occur because I love the show. I think it’s great, and the show helped me get a practice on 85th and Central Park West in New York City. I’m finishing up my first year here, so I hope I’m here for 30 more. I hope for longevity, and what I’m doing right now is really important to me.

Maybe it took the “Don’t Say Gay” bill; maybe it took the show’s narrative being switched up a little bit, but I’m very happy to discuss this and help anyone that is struggling and needs advice. Maybe there’s more of this in my future, and I’m cool with whatever comes my way when it comes to that. I keep my mind open when it comes to anything.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?

I just hope to keep telling my story, and hopefully I can tell it on different platforms. Small, large, I don’t even care. My practice is my baby right now, so we’re going to continue to grow and build, and hopefully you’ll see me on Season 5 of TLC’s My Feet Are Killing Me!

Stay up-to-date and connect with Schaeffer by following him on Instagram @doctor.bradley, or visit his official website, stopfootpainfast.com.

Photos courtesy of Dr. Brad Schaeffer