“Just Because It’s Been Too Long”: Uncle Dale’s Long-Awaited ‘Dazel’ Photo With Hazel Busby Breaks the Internet

Some family duos are just different — and for OutDaughtered fans, no bond hits quite like Dale Mills and Hazel Busby. This weekend, Uncle Dale (affectionately known as “Uncle Doofus”) finally gave the people what they wanted: a fresh photo with his favorite redhead. The caption was short, the hashtags were telling, and the fandom absolutely lost it.

Within 24 hours, the simple selfie had racked up more than 15,000 likes — and the comments section turned into one long, joyful chant of a single word: #dazel.

The Photo That Started the Frenzy

Sunday smiles — the casual family moment that racked up 15,000 likes in a day.

According to reports, Uncle Dale hoisted Hazel up on his hip for the photo — her huge, open-mouth smile on full display. Hazel was rocking a pair of denim overalls that paired perfectly with her red hair, while Dale matched the energy in a vibrant orange shirt, backward baseball cap, and his signature face full of scruff.

His caption said it all: “Just because it’s been too long… #dazel #afterchurch #heriscutetho.” The hashtags revealed the story behind the shot — the Mills and Busby families had just wrapped up church when Dale snatched Hazel up for a quick selfie for the fans.

40 Weeks of Silence — Why Fans Were Starving for Dazel

Here’s the part that makes this reunion so special. According to reports, fans who scrolled through Uncle Dale’s profile discovered it had been just shy of a year — roughly 40 weeks, back to November of last year — since he last posted a photo with Hazel. That last snapshot showed a bundled-up Hazel in a winter coat, tagged along to watch McKenzie Mills’ theater performance.

For a duo this beloved, 40 weeks is an eternity. So when the new photo dropped, fans didn’t hold back: many kept their reactions simple with nothing more than “#dazel,” while others gushed that it had simply been far too long since they’d seen the pair together.

The Uncle Everyone Wishes They Had

Through the years, the Dale-and-Hazel bond has been a fan favorite.

There’s a reason “Dazel” became a fandom institution. Through the years, viewers have watched Dale be the fun, goofy, always-present uncle — the one who shows up, scoops up a kid, and makes everything an adventure. Fans who have followed the quints since 2015 have watched Hazel grow from a tiny baby who faced multiple eye surgeries into the sassy 11-year-old grinning in this photo.

And Dale has been there for all of it — cheering her on through surgeries, milestones, and everything in between.

Does Uncle Dale Play Favorites? The Question That Splits Fans

Of course, no Busby story is complete without a little friendly controversy. As fans celebrated the reunion, some asked the question that always bubbles up: does Uncle Dale favor Hazel over the other quints?

The defenders say no — Dale bonds with all the Busby kids, and Hazel just happens to photograph well in his arms. The doubters point to the sheer volume of Dale-and-Hazel content and raise an eyebrow. According to reports, the debate lit up comment sections almost as fast as the likes rolled in.

So here’s the question that needs settling once and for all: is Dazel the best duo in the Busby extended family — or do you have another favorite pair? Drop your pick in the comments, and let’s settle this like a family: loudly, lovingly, and with way too many exclamation points.