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Duck Dynasty is a fun reality TV series about an eccentric Christian family who don’t worry about speaking their minds. Phil Robertson was once suspended from the show because he spoke he expressed opinions that some people didn’t agree with. But it wasn’t long before fans and viewers demanded his return, and he was reinstated on the show. They have filled our households with a wholesome and yet amusing display of a successful family trying to raise their children in a God-filled atmosphere. They have chosen to live their lives in the public eye not only because they have something to offer in the way of business sense but because it’s an opportunity to show the world their Gospel message.
Personally, I think anyone should be allowed to express their views on faith in any atmosphere plus they are also one hell of a funny family. The rampant beards aside these people would be fun to hang around with. Not to mention, they eat well, and I would like to be at their kitchen table anytime. They have followers from all over the world and have even had toys and Halloween costumes made from the show. The Robertsons have no problem with speaking their minds and their lives seem to be wide open. Do you think that you know everything there is to know about the famous family? It’s possible that you don’t. After all, they lived a whole different life before the show ever began. Check out these facts about the Duck Dynasty family before they were famous.
15. They Married Young
When I say young, I don’t mean young for our generation. Nowadays if a couple gets married at 22, we think it’s a little young. We believe that our twenties should be left for exploration and traveling and finding our careers. There is no need to marry young these days. During Miss Kay and Phil’s generation, however, it wasn’t unusual to get married much younger than even that. They were high school sweethearts, and Kay has said on more than one occasion that she was madly in love with the football star Phil Robertson. They started dating when Miss Kay was only 14 years old which seems really young these days. The love birds married when she was only 16 years old which is shockingly young, especially since they started a family soon after. Miss Kay stated that she has never dreamed of anything else but having a family and caring for them so maybe she didn’t give up her life too young.
14. Phil Robertson was an Alcoholic
Before they were all famous Miss Kay and Phil had many struggles throughout their marriage. As young lovers, Phil Robertson struggled with alcoholism and even cheated on his wife numerous times. He had hit rock bottom, and there was a time that it didn’t look like their marriage would survive. "I got in a bar room brawl; the laws got after me. I went to the woods, of course," Phil explained of the worst time of his life. Kay was at her wit's end and wasn’t sure what to do about her family as they already had children at the time. "The drinking got worse," Kay said. "And I knew then, but I didn't want to believe it; he was running around on me. And what I would tell my boys all the time is, 'That's not your daddy. That's the devil in your daddy.’” It wasn’t until he found his faith in God that he was able to leave the drinking and infidelity behind and be a good husband to Miss Kay.
13. Phil Could Have Been in the NFL
Phil Robertson used to be a football star at Louisiana Tech and was quite good at the sport. He was known as quite the athlete and often gave his teammates a run for their money. Miss Kay fell in love with the football star and often went to support him at his games. Phil had a passion far greater than football, however, and that was his love for duck hunting. It was his need to concentrate on that sport and not football that caused him to turn down an offer to play in the NFL. It’s a good thing he focused on duck hunting because he was able to build one hell of a business out of it and brought in millions of dollars for his family.
12. Uncle Si is Married
If you watched the show, you probably assumed that Uncle Si was single because there is never a lady by his side. You wouldn’t have found it even the least bit surprising because to say that Uncle Si is eccentric would be the understatement of the year. But he is in fact married and has been for awhile. His wife wanted nothing to do with the show however and refused to be a part of it. So she has never been seen on the show once even during the family events such as birthdays and the renewal of Miss Kay and Phil’s vows. Uncle Si wasn’t even supposed to be on the show in the first place, but once the producers met the eccentric Uncle, they insisted he be part of the show. It’s a good thing he did become a part of the show because we couldn’t imagine the show without his hilarious antidotes.
11. There’s More Than Three Brothers
For the longest time, I thought there were only three brothers in the family, the ones running the family business, Jep, Willie, and Jase. They work together to run the business, and you see their work life and family life on the show. But there are actually four brothers, one just isn’t part of the family business and really doesn’t take part in the show. If you are an avid watcher of the show, you may have seen him make random appearances on the show. He was there during the episode where Miss Kay and Phil renewed their vows. Al is the fourth brother, and he works as an elder at the church that they attend. He didn’t believe in being a part of the show nor did he want his family involved in it. Aside from small appearances he didn’t want his life showcased nor is he a big part of the company either.
10. Miss Kay was a Cheerleader
That may be hard to picture considering Miss Kay is obviously the matriarch of the millionaire family. These days she cares for nothing but putting food on her husband's table and making sure that her family is well taken care of. She has made it perfectly clear that there is nothing more important than caring for your man and that the best way to love him is by feeding the hungry belly. But in high school, she was not only a debutante, but she was part of the cheerleading squad as well. It’s hard to picture her as a cheerleader since these days she is more heavy set, but it was actually how the lovebirds met. He was a football star in high school while she was the cheerleader. It wasn’t long before the two fell in love and the rest is history.
9. The Family Loves Fried Frogs
It’s just one of those meals I can’t even imagine eating; a frog just seems like a disgusting meal, I couldn’t even imagine putting it in my mouth. How could something that’s green and covered in warts taste very good? The Robertson family loves fried frogs, in fact, it’s one of Miss Kay’s favorite meals to make for her family. You would think a family full of millionaires would find something better to eat, but they eat the fried frogs because they love the taste. You might be surprised to find out that there is more than one way to cook the hopping little creatures. Jase is also a connoisseur when it comes to cooking a frog, and he recommends soaking the frogs in lemon juice first. Miss Kay enjoys frying the frogs with butter to bring out the true flavor of the frog. Yuck! No thanks, I think I will stick to the chicken.
8. They Were All Clean Shaven
It’s hard to believe when watching the show that those men were ever clean-shaven, but they actually were. Every one of the sons walked around with no beards. Al is the only one these days that doesn’t have a beard, but all the boys on the show do. It makes you wonder if the beards were all for the show. After all, Phil has one and now all three sons working at the company do as well. It’s funny to see the men before they had the beards and they all look really normal and handsome. Considering they all look so normal, it makes you wonder if the beard is all part of a ploy the show had to make things different. If you think about it, would the show be as good or unique if all the cast members were clean-shaven instead of those massive beards.
7. Phil is Friends with Terry Bradshaw
As you probably know, Terry Bradshaw also played football at Louisiana Tech University, and Phil Robertson was there with him at the same time. He was a true duck hunter at heart, but he had a love for the game that he could share with Bradshaw. The two were buddies, and they often played together. Phil mentioned running into Terry at the airport one time as they caught up on their old football days. While attending the University, Phil Robertson held the position of first string quarterback ahead of Terry Bradshaw. Phil could have followed Terry to the NFL, but he didn’t like the idea of missing duck season. It all worked out in the end for him, so I don’t think he’s complaining. The two have stayed friends the entire time, and it’s certainly something you wouldn’t expect from the Patriarch of a religious family. But then the whole family has been full of plenty of surprises.
6. Phil is Highly Intelligent
When you watch the show, it’s easy to think of Phil Robertson as an uneducated man. After all, he spends his time in the woods for most of every episode and he cares for pretty much nothing but his family, God, and duck hunting. His laid back nature is almost to the extreme of things to the point where you could almost think he lacked education. That’s not the case, however; in fact, Phil for all his eccentric ways is highly intelligent. He is often seen writing on the show, and it’s probably due to his public speaking. He speaks philosophically about his religion, and he holds a Masters in education. He likes to speak publicly all over the country and is often invited by churches to do so. Not only does he hold a Masters but he used to be a former school teacher as well.
5. Brotherly Love
Phil and Uncle Si may be millionaires now, but it wasn’t always like that for them. Though at times you wouldn’t even know that they were millionaires the way that they live now. The children all have extravagant and luxurious homes. Meanwhile, both Uncle Si and Phil live in modest homes close to the woods. Regardless of their wealth, they don’t feel the need to have a big house with material belongings. They had always lived that way in fact, even before they were famous. While Phil and Si were growing up, they really knew what roughing it was really about. "It was the 1950s when I was a young boy, but we lived like it was the 1850s... but we were always happy, happy, happy no matter the circumstances," Phil has said in his memoir, Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander.
4. It’s Really Just Tea in the Glass
Uncle Si is known for carrying around a cup and sometimes a jug of liquid. He is rarely seen without his jug of tea, and it’s almost comical to see him chugging it regularly. He states that it’s tea that he’s drinking. And it really is! When the show first aired many people thought that the liquid was spiked with alcohol, after all, he acts pretty loopy all the time so many people thought he could be boozed up. He does admit that he drank a lot during his tour in Vietnam and who could really blame him, but he doesn’t drink anymore. In fact, all he drinks is unsweetened tea. He loves it and can easily drink a few gallons of the tea every day. That’s probably why we always see him with a drink in hand, and now we know it only holds unsweetened tea.
3. Incidents of Abuse in the Family
The great thing about the Robertson family is that they are millionaires, but they are also completely down to earth people. They have spent their lives in much of the same way that many of us have. They have had their share of troubles and problems, experiences that have only made them stronger as a family. We don’t see much of Al or his wife during the series as they opted out of appearing on the show. But the two were very candid about their lives in a memoir they wrote together titled, A New Season: A Robertson Family Love Story of Brokenness and Redemption. In the book, Al’s wife Tracy talked about how she was sexually abused by a family member when she was seven years old. He abused her for seven years until she was a teenager. It just goes to show you that bad things are in many people’s lives despite the fact that they have money.
2. Al Took After His Father
It’s kind of surprising that a child would fall in the same footsteps of their father when it comes to drinking heavily. It couldn’t have been an easy time for Miss Kay having to deal with her husband all those years only to have her son go off and do the very same thing. He is the eldest son so maybe he experienced a lot of the bad times with his father more so than the other children. He admits in his memoir that there was a period of time when he would drink heavily, do speed and cheated on his wife. It’s very similar as to what happened with his father. Thankfully he was able to turn a new leaf when he began to go to church. These days he’s happily married to Tracy, and he no longer drinks.
1. Phil Does Baptisms
Phil Robertson takes his religion seriously and truly believes in the power of baptism in a person’s spiritual journey. It’s part of expressing your faith to the rest of the world. Getting baptized is a big deal in the Christian faith. Not only does Phil do public speaking on the gospel but he also does other religious practices. You might be surprised to find out that Phil has done his own baptisms. He’s performed them in the back of his property in the water. Funny enough many people have come to him as a spiritual leader to perform their baptisms. Over the years, Phil has performed over 300 baptisms right in the lake that he has in his backyard. He’s even baptized some of his fans from the show. People will travel any distance in order to have a baptism experience from Phil Robertson.