Duck Dynasty: The Revival premiered on Sunday, June 1, and fans were quick to notice that Willie Robertson‘s brothers Jase Robertson and Jep Robertson, who starred on the original show when it ran from 2012 to 2017, were not featured in the episode.
In a recent interview with Taste of Country, Sadie Robertson explained the reason behind her uncles’ absence. It simply came down to the family dynamics and who’s currently working at Duck Commander.
“My mom [Korie Robertson] actually runs a lot of things up here at Duck Commander,” Sadie said. “I have my all of my podcast and Live Original team work out of Duck Commander. My brother, John Luke, works for my mom’s production company at Duck Commander. My sister [Bella] manages the whole Duck Commander store, so the next generation works here.”
A&E
That’s why Willie and Korie’s family is at the center of the revival, with other family members taking a backseat. “My dad’s semi-retired, so what does that look like with his new phase of life?” Sadie added, teasing future plotlines. “As a grandpa, traveling … and so that’s kinda why there’s other reasons why Jase and Jep aren’t on this season.”
However, she teased that they could return in the future. The show has already been greenlit for Season 2. “Season 2 we are actually already filming,” Sadie teased. “There’s more cast members from the original show on Season 2.”
Willie, Jase, Jep, and Alan Robertson are the four sons of Phil Robertson and Kay Robertson (Phil also had a daughter, Phyllis, from an affair in the 1970s). Just ahead of the Duck Dynasty: The Revival premiere, Phil died at the age of 79 after battling Alzheimer’s disease. He did not film for the new show before his death.
Korie previously confirmed that Phil’s brother, Si Robertson, will be part of the series.
Duck Dynasty: The Revival, Sundays, 9/8c, A&E