Rowdy Robertson, son of ‘Duck Dynasty’ stars Willie and Korie Robertson, recently revealed on TikTok Live that his famous parents sent him away to boarding school as a teen because of his bad behavior and because he’s gay.
For those unfamiliar with the Robertson Family tree, Willie and Korie are parents to six children– three of whom were adopted, including Rowdy. According to Lilly Archive on YouTube, Rowdy’s biological mother went to prison in 2002 when he was an infant, while his biological father died when Rowdy was 10. Rowdy— who is now 23— was adopted by the Robertsons around the age of 13.
While Rowdy has mostly steered clear of the spotlight, he recently revealed on TikTok Live that when he was 16, he was sent by the Robertsons to Master’s Ranch Christian Academy (MRCA). The school describes itself online as a “boys ranch and therapeutic boarding school in Missouri” with a mission “to strengthen character, faith, and relationships.”
According to Rowdy, he was sent to the troubled boys’ ranch due to his poor behavior and same-sex attraction.
“ … so, I got sent [to MRCA] for one, being a little snot, and two, it was partially because of me being gay, but mainly because I was a little snot,” Rowdy claimed.
According to Rowdy, who remained at MRCA until he was 18, people would “constantly yell” at him at the boarding school, which caused him to frequently be on edge. However, he said “being on the spectrum” may have also contributed to his reaction to people yelling. (Interestingly, MRCA insists on its website that while at the boarding school, attendees will “listen to calm words of instruction, not tones of anger.”)
“ … I’ve allowed myself to, like, understand that trauma isn’t my fault and I’ve allowed myself to grow from it,” Rowdy said of his MRCA experience.
“ … therapies helped that and actually being able to sit down with my mom and actually talk to her in a neutral zone and actually tell her about all the stuff that happened allowed me to actually grow from it to actually be able to speak it out,” he said.
During his Live, Rowdy claimed that he “faked [his] way” to get out of MRCA and admitted to “getting sneakier” about the way he portrayed certain things in order to be able to come home.
“ … I was so miserable there,” he said. “And I was like, if I’m going to get my way out of here, I’m going to just fake it, because they can’t change me being me, so I’m just gonna have to make them think I [changed], so I just had to act.”
Rowdy also shared his experience of coming out to his family.
“Some people were [accepting] from the get-go and some people I’ve never told because it’s obvious they don’t like [homosexuality],” he said. “So, there’s some people I choose to share that part of my life with because I know that, even if they aren’t accepting of it, they’re not going to view me any differently compared to the people who I know that are completely against it and they think all the people like that are disgusting.
“I have to pick and choose my battles there,” he continued.
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(Rowdy’s late grandfather, Phil Robertson, was very vocal about being against homosexuality. In an infamous 2013 interview with GQ magazine, Phil stated that homosexuality leads to bestiality, adultery and other unsavory acts. He was suspended from the show for several episodes before being brought back. He did not apologize for his words— which also contained racially insensitive statements– and continued to speak out against homosexuality.)
Anyway, Rowdy went on to say that he has told some of his siblings that he is gay, and that those siblings have been accepting. (Rowdy’s sister, Sadie Robertson is the most public of his siblings. She— as well as his brother John Luke and other sister Bella— grew up on ‘Duck Dynasty.’ Rowdy, Will Jr. and Rebecca— all of whom are adopted— did not as appear often on the family’s TV shows.)
“The ones that I haven’t told, they probably already know just from everybody else in the family that does know, so I’m not really worried about people knowing [I’m gay] or not … .” he said.
While some of the Robertsons may be accepting of his homosexuality, Rowdy was unsure if his family would be OK with him bringing a male partner to Robertson family gatherings. He noted, though, that most of his family will still try to “be respectful about it” even if they don’t agree with something.
“I think they would be nice about it and let [my male partner come to events] but I don’t know if they’d be accepting,” he said.
Back in March, Rowdy’s sister Sadie spoke about him in an interview done to promote the second season of the family’s spinoff, ‘Duck Dynasty: The Revival.’ (Rowdy made a rare appearance on Season 2, during an episode in which Willie and Korie visited him at college, which happens to be their alma mater.)
“We’re so proud of Rowdy. He is in college right now, doing such a good job committing to that and so he doesn’t live here [in Louisiana] like the rest of us. Hopefully he can finish school soon and strong,” Saide told Parade.
Rowdy noted that he does have a relationship with his family still, and he’s thankful for them.
“I still go home and see them sometimes,” he said. “Yes, they are good to me and they actually do a lot for me and I am so grateful for it. I would not be here where I am right now without them. And I recognize that and I do not take that for granted.”
You can watch clips of Rowdy’s Live below.
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(Photos: TikTok; Instagram; YouTube; A&E)
