We’re living in a nostalgia-crazed world. Reboots of past television series are extremely popular. Remakes of classic, iconic films are being pumped out like crazy. Sometimes, these revivals are well-received by audiences. However, there are those occasional moments when hardcore fans feel like it doesn’t quite live up to the greatness of the original.

With the new series Duck Dynasty: The Revival, the outcome of public opinion remains to be seen. The original series certainly left its mark on the reality television landscape. It placed a spotlight on a portion of the population not widely focused on in the genre. Perhaps that’s why it worked. Regardless of what longtime fans think of the show, there are some familiar faces who are making their return.

Willie Robertson Is Going To Be The Lead Of The New Revival Series

The premise of the new revival series explores the lives of Willie Robertson and his wife Korie Robertson along with their children and grandchildren. Willie has taken over as CEO of the Duck Commander hunting company, originally founded by Phil Robertson in 1972. This was an important aspect of the original series.

Willie has returned to the Duck Dynasty franchise in the new revival. He now considers himself “officially semi-retired.” In the second episode of the series, he showed viewers how he spends his free time. It turns out Willie is enjoying his retirement and is using it to spend time with his family. In the episode, Willie watches his seven grandchildren without any help.

Willie’s wife, Korie Robertson, doesn’t seem completely convinced he can watch all the grandkids by himself. She decided to get her mother to set up shop outside the house in case her husband needed help.

“Now that Willie is fully ‘semi-retired,’ he lost his mind thinking he’s going to take care of all the grandkids at one time,” Korie told viewers. Willie then said, “You know my philosophy. ‘Go big, or go home.’ So, I’ll take all of ’em.”

Willie shared the nicknames his grandchildren have for him. These include “Dubbs,” which he says is short for “W.” They even have nicknames for their grandmother too. The kids call her “KK” or “K-Mama.”

Miss Kay Robertson Will Only Be Appearing In Some Early Episodes Of The Revival

The revival series was announced after Phil’s passing. While Phil isn’t present physically, his spirit has clearly impacted the family in a big way. Korie posted about Phil’s passing on social media after he dealt with months of health concerns.

“We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord. He reminded us often of the words of Paul, ‘you do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him,'” she wrote. While she said the family will hold a private serive, she did say they will share details “about a public celebration of his life.”

“Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life saved by grace, his bold faith, and by his desire to tell everyone who would listen the Good News of Jesus,” she continued. “We are grateful for his life on earth and will continue the legacy of love for God and love for others until we see him again.”

As previously stated, Phil’s health problems were quite frequent leading up to his passing. In an episode of Unashamed with the Robertson Family, his Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis was announced to viewers. Following the episode’s airing, Willie opened up to Fox News Digital, revealing that Phil was “battling a lot of different things right now.” He also elaborated on the other health issues his father was dealing with.

“He’s got a blood disorder, and then he’s got the mental issues that could be early [on-set] Alzheimer’s… and probably some ministrokes because of his blood,” Willie told the outlet. “And so, it could be some stroke stuff happening, that has happened. So, we’re still checking on all that. But then he also has a back issue. He’s fractured his back and that’s where the pain’s at. So, he’s kind of battling many different things at the same time.”

Phil’s wife, Miss Kay Robertson, has been making appearances in the early episodes of the new reboot. However, she is also facing a number of health issues which are preventing her from appearing in future episodes. Willie spoke with USA Today Network about the situation and how she is currently doing.

“Kay is not in the best of health,” Willie said. “We’re trying to help her out as much as we can.” Kay was noticeably absent from the Duck Dynasty: The Revival premiere party in Monroe, Louisiana on June 1, 2025. “Some of it is, she is just depressed,” Willie added. “She lost her partner of 60 years.” Referencing her absence from future episodes of the reboot, Willie said, “Mom was on the show at the beginning so we have some sweet moments with her.”

Problems with Kay’s first became public knowledge in April 2025. On the podcast Unashamed With the Robertson Family, her son Jase Robertson revealed that she had fallen and, as a result, developed an infection that caused her to be hospitalized. Jase said, “We were kind of dealing with the fact that maybe this is it.”

Uncle Si Is Also Appearing In The New Revival, But Has Raised Questions About His Health

As Willie was babysitting in the second episode, Korie visited Silas Merritt “Si” Robertson. Si told Korie that he pitched hunting Bigfoot as a new documentary for the family after insisting he actually saw the creature. According to Si, Bigfoot has a particular odor and proposed the group get a “smell radar” in order to identify him.

While viewers were happy to see Si in the episode, it was a mystery whether he would actually be returning. After falling during a hunting trip when he attempted to get out of a boat in January 2025, Si landed in the emergency room. Justin Martin commented on the situation during an episode of the Duck Call Room podcast.

“Typical Silas Robertson, he’s in a dang hurry to get out of the boat and into the Polaris, he fell. He fell trying to get out of the boat…it’s steep right there,” Justin said. “He went to take a long step instead of waiting on us.”

Si attempted to show everyone that he was alright, but his behavior seemed off. “He didn’t want anybody to see that he fell. The problem is you’re covered in mud now, like we know you fell,” Justin recalls. “We get back to the clubhouse, and breakfast is done and we’re looking up and there’s no Si. He’s just sitting outside in the cold. I immediately thought he had a concussion because it was out of character. He was real quiet, another red flag … no stories.”

Si’s caretaker called podcast cohost Phillip McMillan, in which they shared that he was on his way to the hospital because his “oxygen level was really low.” “I said, ‘What is going on?’ And I figured he would start laughing and talking,” Phillip recalled. “[But] no, he said, ‘Man, I’m in a lot of pain.’ He said, ‘I fell duck hunting and I think I broke some ribs.’ He always thinks it’s worse than it is.”

The good news is that Si did not face any serious injuries. “I could tell you. I think Si got so nervous and so worked up that he kinda started having like [a] mini panic attack,” Phillip added.

This news caused a lot of fans to question if Si would be able to return to the new revival. Korie and her daughter, Sadie Robertson, responded to fans during an episode of their Whoa That’s Good podcast. “Is Uncle Si gonna be on the show?” Korie teased before replying, “Yes, you will see Uncle Si on the show. So much has changed. We’ve got a lot to catch people up on.”