'We've had difficult times': 'Duck Dynasty's Willie and Korie Robertson reveal secret to 30-year marriage
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Duck Dynasty' alums Willie and Korie Robertson recently detailed the secrets to their three-decade-long marriage. Willie, 51, and Korie, 49 starred in the popular A&E reality series for five years from 2012 to 2017 and are parents to six children.
The duo also run a number of businesses together, including the hunting and outdoor store Duck Commander and their production company Happy Camper Productions. The devoted Christians revealed that faith has been key to their long-lasting union during an interview with Fox News.
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What did Willie and Korie say?
"I think our faith is a big part of that because you believe in something bigger," Willie said. "When we've had difficult times, we know that there's something else that we're living for. And so that definitely has drawn us together." "There's all kind of little things, you know?" Willie added. "I try to give more than I take, and I try to serve. And so there are a lot of little things that we put in there. And now that we have grandkids, it's even more. I'm so glad that we did stick it out, that we're still together. And our kids are married now and can watch us. And so it's a tribute. And we're thankful we modeled that from our parents as well and grandparents."
"The secret to a successful marriage — I think I would just say it is just don't quit because tough times will come, and we definitely experienced tough times," Korie said. "But in those tough times, we've somehow turned back to one another, turned back to God. And rather than quitting, we just stuck it out and stayed together. And I think every marriage experiences that. And so that would be my advice."
Willie's father Phil Robertson's turn to religion
Willie and Korie explained that their beliefs had a positive impact on every aspect of their lives. Following years of substance abuse and marital infidelity, Willie's father Phil Robertson found redemption after turning to God. He and his wife Kay, known by 'Duck Dynasty' fans as Miss Kay, 75, converted to Christianity in the mid-1970s.
"Faith is everything to our family," Korie said. "Willie's family, actually, his parents came to faith when he was about 3 years old. And it just changed everything for their family, for their life. I grew up in a family of faith, so it's so important to us." She continued, "One thing that we realized when we did our show, ‘Duck Dynasty', was that people can be introduced to faith through all kinds of different ways. And entertainment is shaping our world, our culture in such powerful ways. We as a people are just consuming large amounts of entertainment right now. And so why not do things within entertainment that are faith-filled, that are hopeful, that are positive, that push people toward something good in the world rather than the other way?"
Couple wrapped filming faith-based biopic
The couple finished filming their upcoming biopic 'The Blind' in October last year. The movie, set in 1960s Louisiana, shows Phil's spiritual transformation from his earlier reckless lifestyle. Willie told the outlet that he found it very difficult to watch the movie as it reminded him of the hard times his parents had to undergo before they turned to god. "But then you realize, 'Wow, [the reason] we're so impacted by our faith is because that could have went either way," he shared. "And had my parents not chosen faith, they would have divorced for sure. I would have grown up in a completely different situation."
"There would have been no Duck Commander, which would have meant no ‘Duck Dynasty', and I probably wouldn't have met you," Willie added, turning to Korie. "My whole life would have been completely different. So there's this big appreciation of faith and someone that shared with them and that impacted their lives. And so you never know how that can happen. And it could be, like I said, it doesn't always happen at church, at a church building. It happens all throughout life."
"And so anything we can do to bring that to people," the 'American Entrepreneur' author added. "We saw that with 'Duck Dynasty'. We saw just a simple prayer at the end of a show, we've seen that impacts thousands and thousands of people who have reached out to us and said, ‘Man, that one little thing had a huge impact. Something we watched together as a family in our living rooms and had a real impact.’ So we know the power of entertainment. We know that there are different ways to tell stories."