What is Willie Robertson's net worth?
Willie Robertson is an American entrepreneur, reality TV star, author, and CEO who has a net worth of $45 million. Willie Robertson is the son of Phil Robertson, who founded the hunting accessories company Duck Commander. Willie and his family became internationally famous thanks to their extremely popular A&E reality TV show "Duck Dynasty." Duck Dynasty premiered in March 2012 and proceeded to produce 131 episodes over 11 seasons before ending in March 2017. During the show's run, Duck Commander reportedly generated over $400 million in gross revenue through merchandise and product sales. The season four premiere of the show still stands as the most-watched single episode of nonfiction in cable TV history. Just under 12 million people tuned in for the episode.
Early Life
Willie Jess Robertson was born on April 22, 1972, in Bernice, Louisiana. He was born three days before his father, Phil Robertson's 26th birthday. His mother is Kay Robertson.
Willie has two older brothers, Alan and Jase, and one younger brother, Jep.
As you would expect from the son of duck call inventor, Willie grew up around hunting and in the outdoors. He also dedicated himself at an early age to his father's business, Duck Commander.
Willie attended Harding University and graduated from Northeast Louisiana University with a Bachelor's Degree in business.
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Duck Commander
Duck Commander was founded in 1972 by Willie's father Phil. Over the decades, Duck Commander grew into a multi-million dollar business specializing in the manufacture of a variety of popular hunting-related products such as duck decoys, duck calls, cooking DVDs, and apparel.
Today, Willie runs Duck Commander alongside his dad, Phil, brother Jase, mother Miss Kay, Uncle Si, and wife Korie.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Duck Commander was a small-time mom-and-pop operation run from the family living room. Willie's father invented their signature Duck Commander Duck Call in 1972. That first year, Phil's call earned $8,000 in revenue. Within a few years, that number had grown to over $500,000 as the duck call became more popular among hardcore hunters.
When Willie became CEO of the company, he used his business degree and sales experience to take the company out of the living room and into the big time.
Duck Dynasty
"Duck Dynasty" premiered on March 21, 2012. The show produced 131 episodes over 11 seasons, with the final episode of the series airing on March 29, 2017.
At the peak of its success, Duck Dynasty was one of the most popular shows on television, airing in over 40 countries and attracting millions of viewers for every episode. The third season's final episode drew an audience of over 10 million people. Amazingly, with those viewership numbers, Duck Dynasty actually managed to consistently beat out network shows like American Idol. The fourth season premiere drew just under 12 million viewers, setting a record for most-watched nonfiction show in cable history. A record that still stands to this day.
Today, Duck Commander is a thriving business empire that sells 600,000 duck calls a year in addition to their popular DVDs, books, and other merchandise. The Robertson family are self-described "redneck millionaires" who enjoy finer things like new trucks and houses but still won't hesitate to jump in the mud on a hunting trip. During the run of Duck Dynasty, the family business sold $400 million worth of gross revenue merchandise and products.
Books
In addition to being a TV star and entrepreneur, Willie is also an author.
In 2016, his book "The American Fisherman" was not only a New York Times best-seller, it was the 9th best-selling book overall for the year.
In 2018, he released "American Entrepreneur: How 400 Years of Risk-Takers, Innovators, and Business Visionaries Built the U.S.A.".
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Personal Life
Willie and Korie Robertson have been married since 1992. They have six children. Three of the kids are Willie and Korie's biological children: Sadie, John Luke, and Bella. Rebecca is their foster daughter, who first came to the family as an exchange student from Taiwan in 2004. They adopted their son, Willie Alexander. In 2016, Willie and Korie revealed that they were adopting another son, a 13-year-old.
He is known for his Christian faith.
Willie is almost always seen wearing a bandana in the pattern of the American flag on his head, and he often wears a white suit jacket to look more professional. The jacket has caused people to compare him to "The Dukes of Hazzard" character Boss Hogg.
On Sunday, April 26, 2020, the Robertson family home was hit with eight to 10 bullets in a drive-by shooting in the middle of the afternoon. No one was hurt. The local Sheriff's Office in Louisiana eventually arrested 38-year-old Daniel King, Jr., in connection with the incident. He was charged with one count of aggravated assault by drive-by shooting and one count of neglect of family and was sent to jail with a bond set at $150,000. Willie made an appearance on Fox & Friends after the arrest, saying," I don't know this guy, I don't know what the motive was. I don't know what he was thinking but I'm just glad they caught him."
Willie went on to say that he and his family were "pretty shook up" after one of the bullets that fired at the residence went through the bedroom window of the home where his son John lives with his wife, Mary Kate, and their infant son. Additionally, a restraining order has been issued against King for John, Mary Kate, and their son.
In 2020, Robertson shocked fans with a new, shorter haircut during the coronavirus pandemic.
Real Estate
Willie and Korie Robertson live in West Monroe, Louisiana, on a gated property that holds both the homes of Willie and Korie, along with the home of their son John Luke and his wife Mary Kate. Not much is known about the home, except for the fact that it sits on 21 wooded acres.
