One of America’s favorite families – Duck Dynasty’s Robertson family – won’t allow past mistakes to ruin the love they have for one another. In fact, according to Sadie Robertson and Korie Robertson, those mistakes are making the family stronger than ever – proving that families are supposed to stick together.
On August 23, E! News published an interview with Sadie and Korie, who spoke with Francesca Amiker about the unique dynamic their family has – even in the wake of controversy. That controversy came in 2020 when Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the family, learned of a secret daughter from a past affair.
His infidelity and affairs were well-documented, having taken place prior to his conversion to Christianity in the 1970s. And while his wife, Kay Robertson, forgave him and remained by his side, the news of the secret daughter came as a surprise. Still, they weren’t about to let that change the love they shared.
The secret daughter’s name was Phyllis Thomas – a 45-year-old woman who grew up without a father. She finally decided to take a DNA test and the results indicated that Phil could be her father. She sent a letter to one of Phil’s sons and they decided to look into it a little further – Phil was a 99.99% match.
Instead of letting it tear their family apart, they came together and welcomed Phyllis into the family – as if she had been there all along. And, believe it or not, it was actually Phil’s wife of nearly 60 years who brought the family together when they needed it most – she didn’t have to accept Phyllis, but she did.
"Whenever Phyllis came into the family and we found out, Kay, from day one, just welcomed her with opened arms. She became part of the family very early on,” Korie Robertson tells E! News. Since then, Phyllis has joined the family for holiday dinners and quickly built a relationship with everyone in the family.
"That choice to forgive is so powerful. Forgiveness is a powerful thing in any of our lives—no matter if it's as big as what Phil and Kay went through or smaller. In marriage and in life, you have to be able to forgive and move forward,” Korie continued. She chose to forgive her husband – ultimately choosing to love.
Sadie Robertson is Enjoying Getting to Know Her Aunt
Sadie Robertson, who is the daughter of Korie and Willie Robertson and granddaughter of Phil and Kay Robertson, shared that sentiment – crediting her grandmother with keeping the family together. In the three years since then, Sadie has taken the time to get to know her aunt whom she never knew existed.
"I was just sitting with her like, 'This is so crazy! I'm talking to my aunt that I didn't know for so long, but now you're my dad's sister,'" Sadie – who is 26 years old, married to Christian Huff, and a mother herself – said in her interview with E! News "It's such a beautiful thing that we get to have this relationship."
She went on to explain that her grandmother, Kay, ‘already knew everything that happened’ and knew Phil’s infidelity was bad, but was unaware of there being a daughter. “If grandma Kay hadn't forgiven Phil 40 years ago, there's no way she could've welcomed Phyllis with open arms like that,” Sadie explained.
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With ‘a lot of confessions, repentance, forgiveness,’ the family came together and prevailed – and now they have a knew family member to love and embrace. You can learn more about Phil’s younger years and the forgiveness Kay exemplified in a new biopic called The Blind, premiering in theatres Sept. 28.
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