Millions of Viewers
Duck Dynasty was shown on A&E between 2012 and 2017. It focused on the Robertsons, who worked at Duck Commander in Louisiana. Phil, Si, Jase, Jep, and Willie all made duck-hunting products and started the company. They got 12 million viewers for the fourth season.
Millions Of Viewers
President Obama Liked the Show
Korie and Willie went to the White House Correspondent’s Dinner in 2015, and a man asked them to go with him. They ended up meeting President Obama. Willie said that Obama shared that he loved the show, watching it on Air Force One.
President Obama Liked The Show
A Goldmine
Before launching the show, the Robertsons became rich through Duck Commander, showing about $40 million in revenue in 2012 alone. Therefore, A&E approached them for the reality show, whereby advertisers often spent $180,000 for a 30-second commercial!
A Goldmine
Stand-Ins Replace the Stars
There were many scandals surrounding the show. Everyone knows that they’re scripted, but the Robertsons still appeared genuine. Then, Radar Online, a gossip site, uncovered emails from 2012 that sought men with beards to stand in for the stars.
Stand Ins Replace The Stars
Reed’s Problem with Fame
Fans worried about Reed, Missy and Jase’s son. This 18-year-old had trouble with fame and thought about ending it all. Luckily, he got engaged to his girlfriend Brighton in 2015, which made him the happiest man in the world. They married in 2016.
Reed’s Problem With Fame
Child Marriage Promotion
Phil Robertson was also part of a scandal, making headlines after videos indicated that he promoted child marriages. He claimed girls could get married at 15 and said that he had dated his wife at 14. If you didn’t marry that early, you’d have a gold digger on your hands.
Child Marriage Promotion
Jim Crowe Treatment
Phil turned away from homophobia in 2013 to reflect on how well black people were treated during the “Jim Crowe” era. He claimed never to have seen a black person mistreated, saying he hoed cotton with them and was considered white trash, similar to them.
Jim Crowe Treatment
Pregnancy Terminated
Alan is a preacher, and it was revealed that his wife, Lisa, had an affair. However, he was wild as a youngster, too. Overall, Lisa had to terminate her pregnancy at 17. This shocked the world because the Robertsons were supposedly Christian.
Pregnancy Terminated
Suspended for Homophobic Remarks
Phil is a controversial member of the show and is often in the tabloids for questionable statements. He interviewed for GQ magazine in 2013, seemingly making comments about gay people and saying homosexuality was sinful.
Suspended For Homophobic Remarks
The Nail in the Coffin
When the show hit its sixth season, roughly 4.6 million people watched. The wedding-themed episode did help, but season 10 saw only about 1.3 million viewers. Most believe it was because of the controversial interview Phil did for GQ.
The Nail In The Coffin
Phil Apologizes
After making those controversial remarks about black and homosexual people, Phil went on Good Morning America to apologize. However, he compared his own being with Jesus and said they were both homophobes and wanted to unify the race.
Phil Apologizes
Jep and Substance Abuse
The Robertson family went to church, so it was shocking to learn that Jep did whatever a person would put in front of him. This included laced cigarettes and other drugs. He reminisced about driving and not remembering anything the next day.
Jep And Substance Abuse
Jep’s Abuse
Jep revealed than an older student in his school abused him. She sat with him on the bus and did strange things to him. He felt awkward and ended up writing a book about the ordeal to help others understand.
Jep’s Abuse
Burying It Deep
He talked more about the traumatic experience of abuse, claiming that he never wanted to go to school and was absent a lot. His mother thought he was sick, and he wished to bury it deeply. This happened, and he forgot about his pain.
Burying It Deep
Willie and Korie’s Trouble
Korie and Willie weren’t sure if they wanted to relocate to California. In fact, many magazines speculated about their marriage. She wished to open a shop, but he preferred to stay with the business.
Willie And Korie’s Trouble
Drive-by Shootings at the Estate
Willie Robertson and his family were at the estate, and someone drove by, shooting at the house in 2020. He claimed that they sprayed bullets across the property. In fact, one of them went into the bedroom of Mary Kate and John Luke!
Drive By Shootings At The Estate
Humble Beginnings for Phil
The Robertsons weren’t rich initially. Before Phil created the company, he was poverty-stricken. He came from a family with six other children, and they had no electricity, toilet, or bathtub. They survived by growing gardens and hunting.
Humble Beginnings For Phil
Almost a Different Career
Phil had been a football player, and Terry Bradshaw offered him a chance at going pro. He would have been on the Washington Redskins team, but he decided that he didn’t want to because he couldn’t hunt as often as he wished.
Almost A Different Career
Phil’s Educated
Phil actually has a degree in education and physical education. Though he acts like a redneck, he was smart. Plus, he decided to get into the duck call business because he wasn’t happy with the ones currently on the market!
Phil’s Educated
Trump Supporters
Phil supported Vance McAllister in 2013 through a television commercial, and it seemingly helped the politician win. Though Phil wanted Ted Cruz for president, he chose to back Trump when Cruz dropped from the race.
Trump Supporters
Strange Delicacies
Kay was 16 when she married Phil, and everyone calls her Miss Kay. She raised four sons and enjoys cooking for everyone. Sometimes, she uses strange ingredients, and her favorite recipes are fried deer steak, sticky frog legs, and crawfish pie.
Strange Delicacies
Si’s Blue Cup
You likely know that Uncle Si has a blue cup with him, and it’s one of his favorites. In fact, his mother gave it to him when he served in Vietnam, so it’s quite special and considered a prized possession.
Si’s Blue Cup
One without a Signature Beard
Phil’s oldest son sticks out like a sore thumb. Al doesn’t have a beard, though he did help with the business and hunted. Still, he decided to become a minister because it called to him, and the family wasn’t upset about it at all!
One Without A Signature Beard
No Long Hair
Typically, the Duck Dynasty cast has long beards and hair during duck season, and A&E required this. However, they were able to cut their hair after the show ended. Jep did it live on Facebook and wowed his fans; Jase soon followed suit.
No Long Hair
Air Force Worker Almost Fired
Someone at a Florida Air Force Base got in trouble after the union learned that he supported Phil Robertson because of the anti-gay comments. Though he didn’t get fired, it was a sticky situation for everyone involved.
Air Force Worker Almost Fired
Causing Trouble Everywhere
Alan Cooper was the Union Vice President at the time and worried that the employee would treat others differently because of the show. He didn’t want them to be able to exert influence for promotions and the like. However, the Air Force claimed it wasn’t wrong.
Causing Trouble Everywhere
Famous Hungry Willie
The Robertson family offers a simple country life and a down-home attitude, but they all want to be famous. Viewers everywhere focus on their humble and relatable perspectives, but it’s rumored that Willie was desperate to be famous.
Famous Hungry Willie
Harvey Levin Is a Friend
After Phil got called out because of his anti-gay comments, Harvey Levin became their ally. He founded TMZ and was a lawyer. Levin claimed to be gay and didn’t agree with Phil, but he still had the right to believe what he wanted.
Harvey Levin Is A Friend
Sued and Fired Producers
Scott and Deirdre Gurney produced the show, and they were involved in criminal behavior, so the production company fired them. It happened because they sold stakes in their current company, started a new one, and pretended they weren’t still on the payroll of the old one!
Sued And Fired Producers
PETA Clashes
After Phil’s anti-gay comments, another organization publicly chastised him. PETA demanded that A&E cancel the show and begged Christians to ignore Sarah and Phil. Likewise, it called the family duck slayers. In fact, it wanted Phil suspended because of his words and actions.
PETA Clashes
PETA Goes Against Christian Fans
PETA wants attention, but it doesn’t stray from the cause. It had many things to say about Phil’s comments about gay people. Likewise, it turned on the fans of the show, saying they couldn’t be Christian and support such a person who murders animals.
PETA Goes Against Christian Fans
Sadie’s Boyfriend Drama
Sadie is Willie’s daughter, and she grew up on camera. However, that meant everyone knew about her uncomfortable moments, including the boyfriend drama. She’d been with Blake Coward, but they broke up. Many fans were disappointed.
Sadie’s Boyfriend Drama
Breakup Advice
Sadie took to YouTube to offer advice. She claimed it wasn’t smart to be bitter, angry, or jealous. Instead, you should want the best for the ex. Then, focus on yourself, work on yourself, and be better for the next and likely better person in your life.
Breakup Advice
Sadie Speaks About the Duggar Family
The Robertson and Duggar families got along well because they both have Christian values and were in the spotlight. After everyone found out Josh cheated on his wife and was inappropriate with girls and women, Sadie supported the family.
Sadie Speaks About The Duggar Family
Duggar Mistakes
Sadie said that she’d spoken to Jana and hinted that she knew of the scandal before it came out. She said that the secret would come out, and Josh was turning his life around. Plus, she compared her situation with Phil’s homophobic comments to the experiences of the Duggar family.
Duggar Mistakes
Everyone Feels Differently
Jase and Missy felt differently about the Duggar situation. Missy said that it was their decision whether to get divorced or not, and she had the right because he had an affair. Jase echoed such sentiments and said that there should be consequences for the actions.
Everyone Feels Differently
Sadie’s Acting Career
After being on the reality TV show, Sadie caught the Hollywood bug. She went on Dancing with the Stars and landed an acting role in I’m Not Ashamed. This focused on the Columbine high school shooting and Rachel Joy Scott.
Sadie’s Acting Career
A Meaningful Film
Rachel Joy Scott kept journals about her life, and that’s what I’m Not Ashamed was based from. Though Sadie got the role for Rachel, she declined; she didn’t feel ready for the part. Therefore, she played Rachel’s cousin.
A Meaningful Film
Racy Outfits and Willie
When Sadie was on Dancing with the Stars, Willie, her dad, got upset about Julianne Hough’s comments. She told the young girl to get “down and dirty” with the dancing, but the family is conservative. Plus, she was only a teenager at the time.
Racy Outfits And Willie
Christian Conflicts
TMZ photographers caught Willie and asked him about the comments made to his daughter during the Dancing with the Stars debut. He didn’t appear angry but also said he would discuss it with Julianne. Likewise, costumes were also a problem.
Christian Conflicts
