Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson dropped a bombshell in 2020: The notoriously deeply religious family patriarch cheated on his wife, and that relationship resulted in the birth of a daughter who he didn't know existed.
Phil and his sons —Al, Jase, Jep, and Willie — revealed the news on a recent episode of the Unashamed podcast.
Al says that it all started when he received a letter from a woman who claimed to be his sister. At first, he didn't believe it. "So basically, it was from a woman who said that by a DNA search, she thinks that dad might be her dad." Al said he just pushed the letter aside because to him, the timeline didn't match up — the affair would have taken place after Phil became a Christian.
In the past, Phil has been upfront about the fact that he cheated in relationships prior to becoming a Christian, but now it appears there may be more to the story.
This story first appeared on LittleThings in May 2020.
Al continues, "Well once we get into that and start looking at it a little more deeply, I'm like, 'Oh woah, woah … there might be something to this." He didn't mention the letter to his dad right away, but did share it with his brother Jase, who added, "We both concluded, this is not one of those frivolous things we've got."
The pair then began to look into the truth behind the letter. They decided to meet 45-year-old Phyllis, saying, "I started thinking, there's a 45-year-old woman out there who doesn't know who her dad is, and she's looking. And I thought, even if it's not dad, she needs to know it's not dad."
Al finally approached Phil and his mom, Kay, and Phil agreed to take a DNA test. The results? Phil and Phyllis are a 99.9% match. Phil jumped into the podcast at this point and said that once he found out he was the father of Phyllis, he said to "bring her on down" so the family could all meet.
Phil then took over, saying, "We know that in all things — in all things — even sin, God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose."
He also added that the listeners will "meet" Phyllis soon as well, in an episode of the podcast.
"It's a pretty cool explanation of redemption, reconciliation, love. As it turns out, 45 years, you have a daughter that you don't know about, and she has a father she doesn't know about. Forty-five years — that doesn't sound like very long but you say, that's a while. So finally, after all those years, we come together."
Phil and Kay met all the way back in high school, and they reportedly made a "vow to God" that they would marry one another in 1964. The two actually got married on April 11, 1968. But their oldest son, Alan, was born in 1965, and the rest of their sons were born in 1969, 1972, and 1978.
However, over the years, Phil engaged in domestic violence and drinking, and he even kicked his wife and children out of the house. Kay was distraught and went to her grandmother for advice. She decided to stay with her husband, and she has said, "When I say, 'I love you,' it's for life. If we had not stayed together I would not have known in my heart that I had done everything I could possibly do to make that marriage work."
Phil also cheated on Kay numerous times. "I had adultery. I had found that out, and that was a fact. I didn't want to believe it, but it was true. Some people get drunk, and they're happy, happy, happy. Phil would be happy, but then he would get mean and very cruel with his words."
Kay said that she believed that her faith in God would help Phil change his ways. "I told my kids, 'Your dad is a good man. He has a good heart, but right now he's letting the devil control him, and that's who we should hate — the devil and not Phil. We'll pray and pray that the devil will leave him, but he has to make the choice to do that."
Phil eventually did become a born-again Christian, but it took 10 years for him to really settle into the role. Kay said her children were part of helping Phil find his way. "He's had 10 years to do a lot of bad things. It's going to take him time to grow. He doesn't know how to be good, but if we love him and help him, he will."
Kay said that she also worried about the effect this upbringing would have on her kids. "Sometimes I cried because he didn't have a regular childhood, but he'd say, 'Mother, you did the very best you could, and you stayed with daddy' He tells me, 'Do not ever feel guilty.'"
After his conversion, Phil started the Duck Commander company, and his custom duck calls became popular with others who enjoy hunting the waterfowl. Phil and his sons made a DVD about their duck hunts, which eventually led to their show, Duck Dynasty.
