Duck Dynasty cast reveals why they never thought they’d be back on TV ahead of series revival

‘Duck Dynasty: The Revival’ is set to premiere June 1

Duck Dynasty’s Robertson family is returning for a new iteration of their popular reality series.

Titled Duck Dynasty: The Revival, the show will welcome back the majority of the original cast, including Willie and Korie, along with their children and their respective spouses. Uncle Si and Willie’s mother, Miss Kay, will also appear, as will Willie’s brothers, Jep and Jase.

It will be the first Duck Dynasty series without controversial family patriarch Phil, who died Sunday, aged 79, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in December.

Speaking to US Weekly ahead of the June 1 premiere (in an interview conducted before Phil’s death), Willie, 53, admitted: “I never thought we’d do this again. But I realized people wanted to see what we’re doing.”

“The timing felt right. It’s been fun bringing people into the next part of our life,” Korie, 51, added.

The original series, Duck Dynasty, aired on A&E Networks for 11 seasons from 2012 to 2017. It followed the Louisiana-based Robertson family and their lucrative duck hunting business.

'Duck Dynasty: The Revival' is scheduled to premiere June 1 (A&E)

Reflecting on the success of Duck Dynasty, Korie said: “People would come up to us in tears about how it impacted them and how their family sits around the table and has meals together and says a prayer because of our show. We saw how entertainment can move people.”

She admitted, however, that “at one point, we were like, ‘Did we ruin our kids by putting ’em on reality TV as teenagers?’”

“Then we were like, ‘The fact that they want to do it again is a good thing,’” Korie said.

Addressing the difficulty of balancing their marriage and running a family business, Willie said: “It can be hard working with your spouse on creative things. You have to be committed and faithful and communicate.”

Phil Robertson of ‘Duck Dynasty’ died at the age of 79 (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The family has faced several tragedies since the show went off the air. Earlier this year, Uncle Si found himself in the hospital after tumbling down a muddy hill after returning from a hunting trip. After several tests ruling out broken ribs, it was suspected that he suffered some bruising. While Si’s low oxygen levels initially caused alarm, medical staff concluded that it was likely due to a panic attack.

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Hardships aside, fans have been thrilled by news of the show’s revival.

“It’s going to be AWESOME!” one person wrote on X.

“Sharing your family has touched many of your viewers hearts. Thank you and can’t wait to be blessed even more,” another wrote.

“They’re absolutely hilarious but I love their family values. But they do a lot of very funny stuff quite often which makes the show wildly entertaining!” a third said.