The Robertson family may have become household names thanks to A&E, but they’ve stayed on fans’ minds ever since thanks to their hilarious antics. Duck Dynasty gave viewers an inside look at the lives of the Louisiana natives and their business, Duck Commander. The hit reality show premiered in March 2012 and ended in March 2017 after 11 seasons.
The series followed patriarch Phil Robertson, his wife, Kay Robertson, his brother Si Robertson and Phil’s sons Willie Robertson, Jep Robertson and Jase Robertson. Willie and his family — including wife Korie Robertson, daughter Sadie Robertson and son John Luke Robertson — took center stage throughout the show’s run, which featured appearances from the family’s many relatives.
Willie and Korie reflected on the phenomenon in March 2017. “The Robertson family has always been very open with their lives. Good and bad,” he told Us Weekly exclusively at the time. “When you’re vulnerable and say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re going through,’ that resonates.”
He added: “We try to protect everybody and not get caught in something embarrassing, though. There was one time Si was picking his nose and producers thought it was funny. We were like, ‘No, take that out.’”
As for when the stars of the show knew they were famous, Willie recalled the turning point. “People started showing up to the warehouse,” he said. “At first, it was two, and I was like, ‘Hey, come on in!’ Then two turned into 20 turned into 40 turned into 2,000. They were making the pilgrimage down here to be part of it.”
The end of the series did not signal plans for the men of the family to shave, though. “I’d say no,” Willie reasoned when asked whether he would lose his beard after filming concluded.
Korie, for her part, noted: “Missy [Robertson] really wants Jase to, and he’s considering it.”
However, the pair decided Jep was the better option. “I bet Jep,” Willie told Us, to which Korie responded, “Yeah, Jep is the most likely.”
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Scroll through to see where the Robertsons are now that their reality show has ended:
