TikTok Dad Shaves His Beard Without Telling His Family & Films Their Terrified Reactions

Sometimes we just need a change. We may grab a new pair of shoes or a shirt for a special night out. Maybe it's a tad more drastic, chopping off all our hair or coloring it bright pink. Occasionally, we might feel the need to reinvent ourselves, particularly as parents. And guess what? We don't have to give any warning before we make a change. On second thought, maybe that's not exactly the best idea.

Austin Matthews decided to shave off his beard for the first time in 10 years without telling his wife or small children. He recorded their reactions and posted it on TikTok, @austingossmatthews, and their displeasure is positively hysterical. His video received 55.7 million views, and people can't get enough of his childrens' repulsion at their father's baby face.

The new look was a total shock.

Austin, a father of three and a real estate broker from Alabama, didn't tell anyone his plan to shave his face. His wife and two children were caught off guard when he entered the room with a camera in one hand and no hair on his face.

His 6-year-old daughter screams in fright and cries in the clip, and his 2-year-old son tries to hide. His wife, Jessica, just stares at him with a look only a wife can give. We could totally hear her inner monologue, which undoubtedly said, "What the heck is wrong with you?"

The poor kids didn't know what to do.

Little Jude ran to the side of a dresser and put an electric cord in front of his face. "He's terrified," his disgusted mother says as her daughter wails on the bed, covering her face.

If Austin was hoping to scar his children for the rest of their lives, it's safe to say, "Mission accomplished, friend."

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He had a bit of inspiration.

Austin told CNN that his father terrorized his family as a child by shaving off his mustache unannounced, so he felt it was only fitting to keep the family tradition going. He said his children had never seen him without facial hair.

Austin assured CNN the beard would be back. "This will never happen again. It was a one-and-done. I got the reaction. It got the reaction, I went viral, that's enough for me," he said.

The video went positively crazy viral.

The short clip got more than 55 million views and 6.5 million likes. People are obsessed with Austin's reveal, and the comments did not disappoint.

There were so many jokes.

"Beard was the only thing keeping the family together 😭," someone wrote.

At least one person felt sorry for poor Austin.

"The most humbling moment in this man's life 😭," another comment reads.

This one had us howling: "In that home, that was a load bearing beard."

And the commenters loved the kids' reactions.

"I'm dying 😭 this is the funniest tiktok I've ever seen help me," one comment reads.

"For some reason the kid hiding behind the dresser is even funnier than the crying," another person wrote.

Austin isn't the only dad to crush his kids like this.

There has been a lot of unsolicited shaving over the years, and the trauma remains.

This one is pretty funny: "I remember I cried when my dad came home bald cause I thought my mom was seeing another man."

And this girl was passionate: "i have a very dramatic diary entry from when i was 8 about this very situation 'i don't know who my dad is anymore.'"

Sometimes, it feels personal.

"I remember my dad shaving his mustache when I was 5, and I took it personal. I felt like it was a direct attack on me, for some reason 🤣," someone commented.

Austin, we love you. This was what our souls needed today, and we might just hit the salon for a fresh look ourselves, but keep this between us until the big reveal.