By Sarah Kupelian
WEST MONROE, LA. – While Hollywood honchos and cultural commentators often speculate as to why America is so madly in love with “Duck Dynasty,” Miss Kay Robertson, the world famous family’s matriarch, wonders the same thing.
In a meeting room at the Duck Commander warehouse in West Monroe, La., Marsha Kay Robertson (popularly known as “Miss Kay”), proud mother of the Robertson family, and her oldest son Alan and his wife Lisa are engaged in a lengthy and animated chat with Dianne Linderman, host of Talk Radio Network’s “Everything That Matters” show. (The dramatic interview with Alan and Lisa will be the focus of an upcoming WND exclusive.)
A smiling Linderman verbalizes to Miss Kay what many fans feel about the phenomenally popular A&E reality show: “You make people feel like family.”
“Thank you,” replies Miss Kay, who goes on to share the recipe for her famous biscuits with Linderman and her radio listeners. (Listen to short clip below.)
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The biscuits have developed a cult following, it seems. “Well, you know we laugh when I go places,” Miss Kay tells Linderman, and “right off the bat, either children or men ask me ‘Did you bring any biscuits?’ And I’m like, ‘Really, I mean, oh my goodness I forgot my picnic basket with all my biscuits and food in it! Do you really think I can get up at 4:30 in the morning, fix my biscuits, get on the airplane, and bring them in my basket?!’ I’m sorry, I’m not that good.”
Linderman laughs, “But you actually come across like you are that good, and we believe it!” (Listen to clip below.)
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On a serious note, Linderman tells Miss Kay, “I know a lot of people who look up to your family because you inspire a lot of people to be themselves.”
Pausing, Miss Kay responds thoughtfully: “I ask them all over America, everywhere I go, I say, “Why do you like us? I just wanna know. I interview them. I turn it into my own interview. And they always say the same thing: ‘Because you’re real. Because we can relate to y’all, and because you’re sincere and we need someone in America to trust.’ It’s so sad.'” (View short video clip of “Miss Kay” interview.)
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Commenting later, Linderman observes: “That Robertson family is real, warm and inviting! And after sitting and chatting with them for the past few hours, I can attest to the fact that all the things people love about them on TV are the very same things they would love about them in person! They are genuine! The fact that Miss Kay does not know why the American public loves her family is the very reason we do! They truly have not allowed fame or fortune to change who they are. Without even knowing, they are role models.”
Miss Kay and Linderman continue their dialogue, laughing throughout while discussing some rarely heard backstories on the Robertson family and their insanely popular show.
“Phil’s mom and dad lived by us probably 15 years, and that’s what inspired the big table where we all said the prayer,” says Miss Kay. “It used to be Phil’s daddy, and then it was Phil. And see, that’s one of the things that Phil insisted be on the show.”
“How much of the business end of this are you a part of, because you seem like you’re kind of on top of it. Am I wrong?” Linderman asks with a knowing smile.
After a moment of hesitation, Miss Kay Robertson warmly returns the smile, replying, “For years – they just have no idea – I would make a pie crust at the same time I’m taking a duck call order. Nobody knew. Thank goodness, they didn’t have where you can see what somebody was doing when they were talking on the phone like they do now. And I would just work and take orders and roll the pie crust in between.”
Miss Kay proceeds to tell story after story about raising – and disciplining – her sons. She explains how, doing their part to keep the family business running strong, the four boys would help their father dip the duck calls and package the duck calls every day when they returned home from school. And her husband, Phil, the family patriarch who came under fire last year for his comments regarding homosexuality, makes all the family’s jams and jellies from scratch after first gathering the fruit himself. She proudly explains that their grandson, John Luke, has decided he wants to learn that rare art from Papa Phil this year so he can help to carry on the family tradition.
And Miss Kay retains bragging rights to the fact she and her husband Phil still live in the same house they did 40 years ago, despite fame and fortune.
Finally, she tells the tale of her son Willie’s first business undertaking at age 10. (Willie is the current CEO of Duck Commander, the family’s multi-million-dollar enterprise.) After someone gave her family a whole box of bubble gum, entrepreneurial young Willie took the candy to his school and sold it for a quarter a piece. His newfound business was so successful, “he singlehandedly shut down the whole school concession stand,” his mother said, adding, “Somebody asked one of the little girls ‘why would you pay a quarter for one piece of gum out of a little pack of gum?’ And she said, ‘because that Willie Jess Robertson would just grin at me and show those dimples’ – flirt with her is what he was doing for the business! And boy he was just racking it up!” (Listen to audio clip below.)
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“He used his charm, didn’t he?!” comments a smiling Linderman, a children’s entrepreneurship instructor herself. “And he’s still using it!”
Sarah Kupelian is producer of Talk Radio Network’s nationally syndicated weekly show “Everything That Matters,” hosted by Dianne Linderman and broadcast live Sundays from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. Pacific. She is also a contributor to WND and is an owner-partner of the Great American Entertainment Company LLC.
