Willie Robertson, a prominent figure in the reality television world, is ensuring his late father's legacy continues to inspire and uplift audiences through the family's show, "Duck Dynasty: The Revival."
As the second season of the series is in the works, the Robertson family has announced that the premiere will honor their late patriarch, Phil Robertson, who passed away earlier this year.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Willie Robertson shared his thoughts on the timing of his father's passing, saying, "I think it was such a pass-over, literally, because the show came out when Phil passed away just within a few days of each other."
He expressed his longing for his father, saying, "We miss Phil for sure and would love to, obviously, still talk to him and have him around. However, I think he was ready to roll, he's ready to move on to the next life, which he talked about, I think every day of his life while he was here on this Earth."
Despite the emotional toll of filming without his father, Willie believes that Phil would be proud of how the family has continued his legacy. "Its sad, but I think hed be happy," Willie said. "Hed be happy that we kept it going especially the way the show has faith as part of it, the family. Maybe not as many ducks as he would have liked with this next generation, but were working on it."
Phil Robertson, the founder of the Duck Commander hunting company, which became the focus of his A&E show, passed away at the age of 79 in May. The family patriarch had been battling health issues, including early-stage Alzheimers disease.
Willie emphasized the importance of showcasing a healthy, joyful family to the nation, especially in these challenging times. "I think right now I think its important for the country to see a family, to see a healthy family and to see joy in the things that come out of our family," he told Fox News Digital.
He recalled how viewers had previously expressed their gratitude for the wholesome content the family provided. "We certainly saw that before with our family, where so many people would come to us and just say, Thank you for putting that on," Willie said. "Maybe we cant all live by each other. We cant all sit together and have a prayer at the end of a meal. But we love seeing that. It helps encourage us. And so I think in these times I think that can be helpful."
The Robertson family's foundation, according to Willie, remains unshaken. "The anchor has been, really, the faith that goes back to our three things that we started Duck Dynasty with, which were faith, family and ducks in that order," he remarked. He stressed the importance of keeping faith at the forefront, as it strengthens the family and positively impacts their work.
This strong family bond is not just confined to their private lives, but is also evident in their on-screen interactions. "If not, youll definitely see it at work youll see it show up, especially on a show like this," Willie explained. "If there were trouble at home with us, you would certainly see it on the camera."
Despite their hectic filming schedules, the Robertsons have managed to maintain their Louisiana roots and the tradition of family dinners. Korie Robertson, the matriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" family and recent founder of a handbag line with Fount, shared her approach to balancing fame and family.
"We really kind of understood from the very beginning that this was something bigger than us. It wasnt about you or me getting famous. It was about something bigger than us. And I think when we did the show, we had that prayer at the end around the dinner table and we didnt do it for some because we had it planned. We just did it because this is what we do," Korie said.
"Duck Dynasty: The Revival" Season 2 is currently in production, with the premiere date yet to be announced. Meanwhile, all 10 episodes of Season 1 are available for viewing on Hulu.
Login