Willie Robertson always put on a united front with his family on Duck Dynasty, but he went through a phase where he strayed from the path carved out by his relatives.
Willie, 53, and his wife, Korie Robertson, reflected on a time when he tried to make his own way without his family’s business or their signature style.
“I always say Willie’s 20s were his rebellious period,” Korie, 52, told Fox News Digital in an interview published on Saturday, March 14. “He shaved and showered regularly and didn’t wear any camo. He wore Polo and Girbaud jeans. He was, like, preppy in his 20s.”
Although Willie is now the CEO of the Robertsons’ Duck Commander business, he didn’t always plan on following in his family’s footsteps.
“In my 20s, I never would have dreamed I’d have worked at the family business,” he told the oulet. “That’s not where I thought I would end up.”
As Willie got closer to turning 30, though, he began to embrace his family’s way of doing things.
“Gradually, he kind of started turning more into his dad,” Korie recalled. “The beard started growing, he started wearing more camo and went back to the family business.”
Willie, for his part, added: “You never know how life changes.”
Courtesy Willie Robertson/Instagram
(Courtesy Willie Robertson/Instagram)
Luckily for fans, there is photographic evidence of Willie’s clean-shaven look. From time to time, social media users can catch a glimpse of his younger self in throwback photos he posts from special moments such as his and Korie’s January 1992 wedding.
These days, Willie maintains the long beard and hair that viewers first saw on him and his family members—including his late dad, Phil Robertson, uncle Si Robertson and brother Jase Robertson—when Duck Dynasty premiered in March 2012. The reality show aired on A&E for 11 seasons until April 2017.
In June 2025, Willie and Korie returned with Duck Dynasty: The Revival. The series centers around the couple, their six adult children—Rebecca, 37, John Luke, 30, Sadie, 28, Will, 24, Bella, 23, and Rowdy, 23—and their grandchildren.
Season 2 of the show pays tribute to patriarch Phil, who died in May 2025 at age 79.
“We’ve just been talking a lot about him and the impact he had on our family, obviously, but also the show itself,” Willie exclusively told Parade in an October 2025 interview. “We’re so glad we’ve got all the memories and great video content of Phil. So starting off season 2, we get to really celebrate his life and walk the viewer down a little bit of memory lane about him.”
In the wake of Phil’s death, his legacy lives on through his family, with Willie noting, “I can see parts of Phil in us as his kids and our spouses, and then even our grandkids. Our family motto that was started by Phil was faith, family and ducks in that order.”
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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