As comfort becomes a bigger priority in everyday footwear, the actor joins STOKE Shoes as a partner to champion a category hiding in plain sight: wide-fit footwear.

GEORGES MILLS, N.H., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Josh Duhamel has played soldiers, cops, cowboys and action heroes on screen. But one of his latest roles is considerably more relatable – the guy who just wants his shoes to fit. Today, the actor, who wears a wide width himself, joins STOKE Shoes as a brand partner, backing the sneaker brand engineered for the 97 million men in America with wide feet.

Duhamel is putting his name behind the footwear company built specifically for men who need more room, after discovering STOKE and quickly making the shoes part of his everyday rotation. He now wears STOKE both on and off set, and believes strongly enough in the brand’s mission, team and vision to take his relationship with the company a step further as a partner.

“I got tired of paying over 200 bucks for sneakers that made my feet hurt. I’m on my feet all day and STOKE Shoes is the only shoe I wear. Easily the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever owned,” Josh comments.

But Duhamel isn’t joining STOKE simply because he likes the shoes. He believes in the bigger problem the company is trying to solve: men with wide feet have historically had to compromise on comfort, fit or style to find footwear that works for them. STOKE is taking a different approach, designing shoes from the ground up around wider men’s feet rather than simply scaling up a standard shoe.

“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.”

As part of the partnership, he will star in various social content campaigns, with the first surrounding a surprisingly universal question: Why are so many guys still wearing sneakers that don’t fit?

The partnership comes as STOKE continues to challenge a footwear category that has traditionally treated width as an afterthought. The brand offers purpose-built wide and extra-wide footwear spanning E/2E through 3E/4E widths, incorporating proprietary technologies including Big Ball Girth™, Mansplay™ Midsole and PowerStack™ cushioning.

Founded in 2025 in Georges Mills, New Hampshire, STOKE Shoes is a performance-lifestyle brand built for the 75% of guys – 97 million American men – with wide feet. Since launching, the brand has expanded to more than 450 retail doors nationwide, alongside its direct-to-consumer business.

To learn about STOKE Shoes, visit www.stokeshoes.com.

About STOKE Shoes
STOKE Shoes is a performance-lifestyle brand engineered for the millions of all-American men with wide feet overlooked by the athletic footwear industry. Founded by Rick Blackshaw in 2025, Stoke builds shoes that match how real men live; with more room, more cushioning, and more honesty. The company is headquartered in New Hampshire with global manufacturing partners.

Media Contact:
Bethany Willetts | bwilletts@blazepr.com 

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SOURCE STOKE Shoes