Duck Dynasty was a huge hit when it premiered on the A&E network in 2012. The show followed the Robertson family as they balanced running the successful Duck Commander business and family life in Louisiana. The family patriarch, Phil Robertson, passed away in 2025, leaving a legacy to his children. His adoptive grandchild, Rowdy Robertson, recently opened up about being banished from his family for being gay. Keep reading for all the details on the sad situation.
Rowdy Robertson Claims Family Banished Him For Being Gay
Phil Robertson’s four sons and their families appeared on Duck Dynasty. The reality star later learned that he had a daughter, as well. Willie Robertson and his wife, Korie, and their five children were part of the reality show. They adopted a boy, Rowdy, toward the end of the show’s run.
He appeared in the second season of Duck Dynasty: The Revival. His parents visited him at Harding University, a private Christian college in Arkansas. Willie and Korie Robertson attended the same college. While Rowdy Robertson is on good terms with his family now, he was once banished because of his sexuality.
The reality star offspring opened up about it on a TikTok Live. YouTuber Lilly Archive captured snippets of the video. Rowdy Robertson claimed that he was sent to the Master’s Ranch Christian Academy (MRCA) when he was a teenager for his bad behavior and for being gay. “I got sent [to MRCA] for one, being a little snot, and two, it was partially because of me being gay, but mainly because I was a little snot,” he said in the TikTok video.
He remained at the boarding school until he was 18, at which time he “faked” his way out. “I was like, if I’m going to get my way out of here, I’m going to just fake it, because they can’t change me being me, so I’m just gonna have to make them think I [changed], so I just had to act,” he said.
Duck Dynasty Star Suspended From Show Over Controversial LGBTQ+ Comments
Rowdy Robertson said that he told some of his siblings that he’s gay and assumed the others knew. Even though he believes that his sexuality played a role in his family sending him away, he’s “grateful” for the Robertsons.
“They are good to me and they actually do a lot for me and I am so grateful for it. I would not be here where I am right now without them. And I recognize that and I do not take that for granted,” Rowdy said.
His adoptive grandfather, Phil Robertson, was briefly suspended from Duck Dynasty in 2013 for offensive comments he made about the LGBTQ+ community to GQ magazine. He compared homosexuality to bestiality, calling both “sinful” behavior.
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Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
