Kay Robertson, the “Duck Dynasty” business empire matriarch, says she hopes the movie about her family will encourage couples to fight for their marriage when all hope seems lost like she did when her husband Phil kicked her and the children out of the house when they were younger.
“The Blind” shares how Phil and Kay Robertson fell in love and persisted during a split. Phil’s battles with alcohol addiction and anger are central to the plot. During one pivotal scene, an out-of-control drunk Phil kicks Kay and their young children out of the house at night. The scene is based on a real-life event.
Kay Robertson told Christian Headlines, “When Phil put us out, that was a humbling moment, a very humbling moment. And the boys were confused. They cried. I cried. The boys would say, ‘Mom is daddy coming? Is daddy coming?’ And I’d say, ‘We’re just gonna pray for him. We’re gonna pray for him.’ And I said, ‘But we don’t want him like he is, because the devil has a hold of him.’ And I would even say, ‘The devil is who’s controlling your dad right now. And that’s why he acts bad. He’s a good man. But he needs God. And he needs the devil out of his life.’ And our boys would just pray for him every night.”
Phil Robertson was managing a bar at the time. The Phil Robertson Americans know today, a reality star businessman who wears his Christian faith on his sleeve, was years away. Kay said she remembered what her grandmother told her as a young girl: “You’re gonna have to fight for your marriage.” The turning point in Phil’s life came during a conversation with Kay outside her job, where Phil was crying.
She recalled, “He looked at me, and he said, ‘I can’t eat. I can’t drink. I don’t want to keep living like this.’ And I said, ‘But the problem lies with you, Phil, it’s not us.’ And he said, ‘Let me talk to that preacher that came to see me at the beer joint. I only want to talk to him.’ I said, ‘I’ll get him.'” Within days, Phil accepted Christ and was baptized, which fans will see in the film. Kay told Christian Headlines, “And Jason looked at and said, ‘I hope he won’t cuss if he comes to church because we’ll be embarrassed.’ And I said, ‘Jason, we have to teach him how to talk.’”
She said the movie has lessons for today’s married couples. A marriage, she said, must involve a husband, a wife, and God, adding, “You need to have patience. That’s what I had. You’ve got to believe that God can do all things, all things.” Robertson has nearly 50 people in her family, including children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“Phil will say, ‘I can’t believe we almost lost this, and now look what we have.’ And he tells me on a regular basis, ‘I’m so glad you stayed with me. I’m so glad you fought for our marriage.’ That’s what I want people to know.”