Ree Drummond's Nephew, Stuart Smith, Is Part of 'The Pioneer Woman' Film Crew

Ree Drummond (aka "The Pioneer Woman") has been cooking and baking delicious dishes on the Food Network since 2011. As viewers have grown to love her quirky and endearing demeanor in the kitchen, they've also learned more about her personal life via social media and her popular blog. Still, some people have wondered: Who is Stu on The Pioneer Woman?

That would be Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's nephew, Stuart Smith — who is the son of Ree's brother, Doug Smith. Although he lives in Texas, Stu often helps on Ree's Oklahoma ranch alongside her four kids, Paige, Alex, Bryce, and Todd. 

The Food Network star raved about her nephew's work ethic back in 2017 when the then-college student visited to help her husband, Ladd, on the ranch.

"Stu's college sleep schedule (stay up late, sleep past eight) has been flipped on its head," Ree explained in the Facebook post. "But he's been smiling through it all and when Ladd gave him the opportunity to take the day off today, he opted to go ahead and work instead."

In October 2020, Ree posted a video that included a glowing recipe review from her nephew.

"In case you didn’t know, my nephew Stu is the cutest kid ever and I love him so much," she captioned the Instagram post. "See the taco soup Stu is raving about on my @foodnetwork show tomorrow morning at 10 a.m./9 c!"

"This is the best taco soup I've ever had in my life. And I highly recommend it," Stu says to the camera as he basks in the glory that is a steaming hot bowl of his aunt Ree's taco soup.

Based on what she's posted about him via social media, Stu appears to be pretty close to Ree and her family (even if they're not always close in proximity). The Pioneer Woman even has a nickname for her nephew: Tooie.

“Usually I go a step further and call him Tooie Booie,” Ree shared on Instagram back in August 2017. “I told him I was going to stop calling him Tooie Booie and start calling him Stuart. It lasted about nine minutes. I love this boy a lot.”

Ree's kids and Stu have been helping out with filming her Food Network series amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The show has fittingly been re-named Pioneer Woman: Staying Home. 

With just an iPhone on a tripod, the stand-in film crew has done an impressive job. 

“My girls, my nephew, and my youngest Todd (oh, and Duke the dog!) manned the cameras this time and we shot four deliciously fun recipes,” Ree explained on Instagram alongside photos of her family. “I hope you enjoy, and I sure as heck hope the show makes sense. We’re havin’ fun at least!”

Hopefully, Stu continues lending a hand with filming The Pioneer Woman and his aunt keeps providing sweet updates about him via social media. Because honestly, we can't get enough of the Drummond family — including her nephew, Stuart.