Willie Robertson may be known for his signature beard and camouflage, but in his 20s, the “Duck Dynasty” star looked nothing like the outdoorsman viewers came to recognize.
According to his wife, Korie Robertson, that clean-cut season of life was actually his rebellious phase.
“I always say Willie’s 20s were his rebellious period,” Korie told Fox News Digital with a laugh. “He shaved and showered regularly and didn’t wear any camo. He wore polo and Girbaud jeans. He was, like, preppy in his 20s.”
It’s a far cry from the Duck Commander CEO fans recognize today, but Willie says stepping away from the family’s hunting roots felt natural at the time.
“In my 20s, I never would have dreamed I’d have worked at the family business,” Willie said. “That’s not where I thought I would end up.”
Back then, Duck Commander was still a growing operation founded by Willie’s father, Phil Robertson. The now 53-year-old businessman had ambitions that extended beyond duck calls and camouflage.
But as he approached 30, something began to shift.
“Gradually, he kind of started turning more into his dad,” Korie said. “The beard started growing, he started wearing more camo, and went back to the family business.”
What began as a return eventually turned into leadership. Willie helped expand Duck Commander into a nationally recognized brand and later into one of cable television’s biggest reality hits with the original “Duck Dynasty.”
Looking back, he says the path was far from predictable.
“You never know how life changes,” Willie said. “They may end up being interested.”
Now, decades later, Willie — who recently joked that he’s “fully semi-retired” — finds himself in a different role. As the Robertson family returns for season two of “Duck Dynasty: The Revival,” he’s watching his own children and their spouses step into the spotlight and explore their own business ventures inside the Duck Commander warehouse.
“We’ve grown a lot,” Willie said of the family’s current chapter. “We’ve expanded.”
“So back in the day, it was just ducks. And so now there’s so many different flavors of business that happened in our location,” he added.
With that growth, he has gained a fresh perspective.
“I always want them to do what it is that they love and enjoy,” Willie said of his children. “If that happens to be Duck Commander, that’s great. If it’s some other business, that’s fine as well.”
As the next generation takes the stage, some of the Robertson in-laws are getting their first taste of reality television.
Korie said her son-in-law, Christian Huff, embraced filming right away.
“I’ll say Christian, I think he had the most fun. He loved filming and had a blast, went all in,” she said. “That’s kind of one of our family mottos, is like just go all in, don’t hold back, just have fun, don’t take yourself too seriously and just go all in.”
Willie laughed, joking that Huff might have been auditioning for the role long before the cameras returned.
“Christian was probably watching ‘Duck Dynasty’ saying, ‘I could totally do that. Just turn that camera on and let me go,’” Willie said.
Korie laughed and added, “Just give me my chance.”
The Robertson family’s return to the screen continues as “Duck Dynasty: The Revival” moves into its second season.
New episodes of “Duck Dynasty: The Revival” air Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on A&E.
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