Korie Robertson on 'Duck Dynasty' revival, secret to Willie marriage

New York Post

3 days ago

Quack is back.
The hit reality series 'Duck Dynasty,' which originally ran for 11 seasons from 2012 to 2017, is back for a revival. Premiering June 1 (9 p.m on A&E) and already renewed for a Season 2, 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival' revisits the Robertson family.
'It's been almost nine years now, and we didn't necessarily think we were going to come back to television,' Korie Robertson, 51, told The Post.
But when A&E asked them to return, the Robertsons 'came together and really prayed about it as a family. We were like, 'wow, that feels right.''
8 Jeb Robertson, Willie, and Si Robertson in 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival.'
Bryan Tarnowski/A&E
She joked that when the show premiered in 2012, 'We were like 'we're going to be on television' and we got our nails done and put extensions in the hair, the makeup was perfect and all that.'
This time around, they're more casual.
'We're kind of like, 'okay, the cameras are in our house.' We're so used to it. So we're walking out having our coffee, and the cameras are there.'
8 Willie Robertson and Korie Robertson attend the 11th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards at The Grand Ole Opry on May 26, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Getty Images
The original 'Duck Dynasty' followed the Robertson family and their hunting and outdoor recreation business Duck Commander in West Monroe, Louisiana. The Season 4 premiere scored over 11 million viewers in 2013.
The show prioritized 'faith, family, and ducks' and focused on Phil Robertson and his adult sons such as Korie's husband, Willie Robertson. Phil, who had Alzheimer's, passed away at age 79 on May 25. He is not involved in the revival series.
The show now centers around Willie, 53, Korie, their six kids — including John Luke Robertson, 29, Rebecca Loflin, 36, Willie Robertson Jr., 23, Bella Robertson-Mayo, 22, Rowdy Robertson, 22, and Sadie, 27 — and their eight grandchildren.
8 Phil Robertson, Jase Robertson, Si Robertson and Willie Robertson from the A&E series, 'Duck Dynasty' in 2013.
AP
8 Korie Robertson with her daughter, Sadie, on 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival.'
Bryan Tarnowski/A&E
Phil's brother, Silas 'Si' Robertson, 77, is also on the revival show.
After the original show ended, the family scattered, as their kids got married and went to college.
'Four out of our six kids are literally in our neighborhood,' Korie told The Post. 'Willie says he can hit a golf ball and hit any of our kids' houses, which is the greatest blessing. And then we're all working together in the Duck Commander warehouse.'
Even more, her office is near Sadie's podcast studio, John Luke's coffee roaster, and the store where Bella works.
In the first 'Duck Dynasty,' Korie said that she and Willie were 'the parents, [but are] now the grandparents.'
8 Willie and Korie Robertson on 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival.'
Bryan Tarnowski/A&E
'And [the first show] was the time period of our lives where Willie and I both were trying to grow our business,' she explained. 'And now, we're in that next phase of life.'
Their kids were in middle school and high school in the earlier seasons.
'So they got to live their teenage lives on television, which was kind of nice that they all wanted to do it again,' she told The Post. 'We were like 'okay, we didn't ruin them by putting them on television as middle schoolers!''
8 Willie and Korie Robertson in a 2024 Instagram photo.
korie.robertson/Instagram
Korie and Willie have been married for 33 years.
'We really grew up together. We are best friends, we work together on the show, and in life and Duck Commander, and all the things we do. So I think respect for one another is really important, and to respect each other's differences,' she said of why their marriage works.
They also 'talk through' the hard times.
'Sometimes you can wake up and you realize, 'We're going in different directions.' But noticing that and being intentional about coming back together every single time has been what's been important for us.'
8 Willie and Korie Robertson with their adult children on 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival.'
Bryan Tarnowski/A&E
8 Korie and Willie Robertson with their kids on 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival.'
Bryan Tarnowski/A&E
Since her kids have spouses that weren't on the first version of the show, 'we tried to prepare the newbies,' she said.
Korie told her sons and daughter in-laws, 'just be prepared for the comments, because you will get that. Not everybody's going to like you, not everybody's gonna like our show. People are going to have opinions about you. That comes with the territory.'
'That is the thing that we've been through, the ones who've done it before. We know what that's like.'