Robertsons discuss Phil’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis on ‘Duck Dynasty’ revival premiere

Duck Commander isn’t the same without patriarch Phil Robertson at the helm. But even before his death on May 25 at the age of 79, the Robertson family was grappling with Phil stepping back from his role as the head of the Duck Dynasty empire after his early Alzheimer’s diagnosis in December 2024. The premiere episode of A+E‘s new installment in the franchise, Duck Dynasty: The Revival, opens the lid on what those conversations looked like among the Robertsons.

“Here’s the thing I was thinking about: You have worked really hard for a long time, and I feel like, maybe you’re going through a few things right now,” Korie Robertson tells her husband, Willie, on Sunday’s premiere.

In 2002, Willie took over for Phil as CEO of Duck Commander, the hunting apparel and gear company Phil founded that has since grown into a multi-pronged conglomerate comprised of a publishing house, production company, podcast studio, and more. Though Willie handled the bulk of the day-to-day affairs around the Duck Commander HQ in West Monroe, La., across Duck Dynasty‘s six years on the air, Phil still served as president of the company. His commanding presence also made him its de facto face, even after homophobic remarks he made in an infamous 2013 GQ profile led A+E to temporarily remove him from the show.

In a quiet moment at home at the end of the action-packed Revival premiere, Korie entreats Willie to open up about his larger-than-life father suddenly being absent from daily business at Duck Commander.

“We’re in that middle place of, like, taking care of aging parents, and taking care of kids and grandkids still. How are you doing with all this?” she asks and, for a moment, thinks she’s getting a sincere reply.

“I’m totally, 100-percent fine,” Willie says, with a slight falter in his voice while chopping vegetables for a large pot of stew for several of his six adult children with Korie. Willie begins to tear up, and Korie rushes to his side to console him.

“I know it’s not very Robertson to talk about your feelings, but you could talk about your feelings. I’m proud of you, babe,” she says.

Without a trace of sentimentality in his voice, Willie responds, “God, those are the strongest onions. They’re burning the crap out of my eyes. You don’t smell them?”

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Korie knows she’s hit the famous Robertson wall, past which no ooey-gooey emotions are allowed. So she helps process Willie’s feelings for him in a confessional interview.

“So recently, Willie’s dad was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s, and it’s been a struggle for all of us,” she says. In addition to Willie and Korie’s six kids — Rebecca, John Luke, Sadie, Bella, Will, and Rowdy — their Louisiana homestead provides temporary and longterm respite to Kay, Willie’s mother; Willie’s three brothers, their spouses, and their eight collective children; Si and Christine, Willie’s uncle and his wife; and Willie and Korie’s eight grandchildren.

Korie reasons that, with so much responsibility as the new head of Duck Commander — and the Robertson family — “he wouldn’t want to admit it, but I definitely think it’s affected Willie, and I think it’s made him think really hard about his own legacy.”

Willie announces on the premiere episode that he’s “fully semi-retiring” as CEO of Duck Commander. With so many potential successors and without his dad’s counsel, this season of Duck Dynasty: The Revival may just play out like Game of Thrones.

Duck Dynasty: The Revival premieres on Sunday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on A+E.