Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's 'Great American Road Trip' reality show is finally out after months-long delay

The long-awaited "Great American Road Trip" reality show from the Department of Transportation starring Secretary Sean Duffy and his family has finally premiered after months of delays.
The series follows Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a co-host of Fox and Friends, and their nine children through seven states. The six-episode series was published on Youtube Wednesday. It was originally planned to premiere in June, ahead of the July 4 celebration, but was delayed.
When asked about the cause of the delay, a DOT spokesperson told CNN, "As we said earlier this month, America's 250th birthday is a year-long celebration."
The series was initially criticized by some Democratic members of Congress who said the road trip came at a time when gas prices were skyrocketing due to the war in Iran, making it harder for everyday Americans to travel. Some critics were also concerned the project's sponsors, including Boeing, Shell, Toyota, United Airlines and Royal Caribbean, had business in front of the Department of Transportation.
Campos-Duffy wrote "all production costs were paid for by the non-profit, The Great American Road Trip, Inc. No one in my family - including my husband - were paid to do this."
Each episode begins with a statement that reads, "production costs —including filming, crew, food, fuel, lodging and activities — were paid for by the Great American Road Trip, Inc and accepted as a gift by the Department. No taxpayer dollars were spent for the participation of Secretary Duffy's family."
The first episode begins with a road trip to Philadelphia, with a brief stop in the Oval Office to see President Donald Trump.
The Duffy family filmed the show one to two days at a time over the course of seven months, they said.
"If I send you there, I think what happens is, they have professionalized figuring out how they can take good, young girls like you and, I think, corrupt their minds," Duffy tells Paloma. "You don't have to believe what I believe. You don't have to have the political viewpoints that I have, but I do think it's important that you make those choices for yourself and you have a fair representation of what they are."
Later, the family visits a Boeing factory in Charleston where 787 aircraft are built. The company is among the sponsors of the series. As Transportation Secretary, Duffy is responsible for the Federal Aviation Administration, which has oversight of the production of planes.
"Innovation, development all happening in America," Duffy said. "Really important as we think about the next generation of materials, the next generation of aircraft."
In Phoenix, the family also rode in a Waymo self-driving car, which Duffy praised. His department, through The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, regulates self-driving vehicles.
Duffy found himself in several of heated exchanges about the series with two Democratic senators at a congressional budget hearing in May.
"This show is incredibly out of touch with where Americans are," Sen. Patty Murray told Duffy, noting Americans don't have sponsors to pay for their road trips. "It really raises some serious ethics concerns about who you answer to."
Duffy questioned money he said Murray got from the health care industry and she responded he was rudely interrupting her.
"Do you hate America? Don't you want to celebrate America?" Duffy asked.
"I don't like the fact that it was paid for by companies that you have to oversee, companies that you work with," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in the hearing. "In our jobs that would be pay for play, it would be 100% illegal. It would be inappropriate on every level and not tolerated."
Duffy defended the series saying no taxpayer money was spent on his family.
"I want to encourage Americans to see their beautiful country," Duffy said. "As we can see from this hearing, there's a lot of partisanship in America. This seeing your country, experiencing your country through the window of a car, is a beautiful thing. It actually unites America."
Updated Aug 19, 2026, 4:20 PM ET. PUBLISHED Aug 19, 2026, 12:26 PM ET. By Alexandra Skores.