The untold truth of Phil Robertson’s affair

It’s true that former Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson is hardly a stranger to controversy, but the revelation that he has a long-lost 45-year-old daughter is definitely a headline we didn’t see coming. News of the latest addition to the Robertson family was first announced by the self-styled Duck Dynasty “commander” himself during an episode of his podcast, Unashamed, on May 28, 2020.

Along with children Jase, Al, Willie, and Jep, Phil came clean about how he became aware that he had a daughter he didn’t know about and how the family digested the surprising revelation — especially due to the fact that, as People reported, his daughter may have been conceived during an affair. 

What’s the real story behind Phil’s past, and how have the rest of the Robertsons come to terms with a decades-long secret? Let’s uncover the facts behind this shocking reality TV revelation.

The Duck Dynasty family received a shocking letter about a DNA test

The daughter in question (referred to only by her first name, Phyliss, at this time) came to the attention of the Duck Dynasty stars after sending them a letter disclosing that a DNA search had led her to believe that Phil Robertson might be her biological father.

Though the letter was mostly about Phil, it was his son, Al Robertson, to whom the letter was addressed. Al said he initially “dismissed” the note because the Phyliss was born after his married father became an evangelical Christian, according to People. Sleeping with someone else would certainly not have been the pious thing to do.

Though Phil married his wife, “Miss” Kay Robertson, in 1966, the former television personality has admitted that he was more or less a philanderer in the years leading up to his conversion. For what it’s worth, People also pointed out that it’s conceivable — yes, pun intended — that Phyliss could have been the result of an affair before Phil officially joined the congregationalist Churches of Christ. From what the Robertsons have said themselves, this seems to be the tack they’re taking.

As for the letter, Al eventually decided to look “into it a bit more deeply” and concluded “there might be something” to Phyliss’ claims. He then alerted his siblings, and finally his father, to the discovery.

Phil Robertson's wife says she 'always wanted a daughter'

As Al Robertson divulged on the Duck Dynasty family’s podcast, the decision to turn over Phyliss’ letter to his father, Phil Robertson, was not made lightly. “I started thinking, there’s a 45-year-old woman out there who doesn’t know who her dad is, and she’s looking,” Al said (via People). “And I thought, even if it’s not dad, she needs to know it’s not dad.”

Phil immediately agreed to a second, independent DNA test, which reportedly resulted in a “99.9 percent match” with Phyliss. 

Since then, the Robertson family has spent time with Phyliss, and all have described a warm reception to the surprise addition to the brood. 

While details surrounding Phyliss’ upbringing and biological mother have been kept under wraps, it seems that this shocking news has not degraded the Robertson family unit. Even Phil’s wife, Kay Robertson, has professed joy about the situation. “I’m so glad it’s a girl. I always wanted a daughter,” she reportedly told her husband, per News Star.

Phil Robertson's affair is at odds with past comments

Though it seems the Duck Dynasty clan is taking the revelation of a long-lost daughter well, news of an alleged affair is at odds with prior comments made by patriarch Phil Robertson, who has spoken about adultery in less forgiving terms, utilizing it in relation to his open anti-LGBTQ attitudes.

In 2013, Robertson famously made waves after equating homosexuality to bestiality and — you guessed it, adultery — in a now-notorious GQ profile. “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there,” he said at the time. “Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men…” He then reportedly paraphrased a bible verse like this: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

After that GQ story, A&E suspended Phil from Duck Dynasty but reversed course only days later when fans (along with social conservatives such as Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee) publicly protested the decision. Though viewers were able to see Roberston on their screens again, it didn’t last — the show was canceled in 2017.

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