Apart from being wealthy business owners selling duck calls, the Robertsons in A&E’s reality TV show ‘Duck Dynasty’ stole a lot of hearts with their wit and humor. The ever-growing family living in West Monroe, Louisiana, entertained viewers for 11 seasons, starting in 2012, just on the basis of their humble nature and their ability to relate to the audience. From learning about how the patriarch Phil Robertson built an empire selling duck calls to observing the daily quirks of the close-knit group driven by their faith in Jesus, ‘Duck Dynasty’ was everything the fans wanted.
One such couple on the show, Jep and Jessica Robertson, won hearts with their obvious chemistry and the ease with which they fit into the family. Jep or Jules Jeptha Robertson is the youngest of Phil’s four sons, who has five children with Jessica and many pet animals. Through ‘Duck Dynasty,’ fans got to see the whole family living together happily in their West Monroe house, which included Jep and Jessica’s kids Lily, Merritt, Priscilla, and River, and the Jules Augustus or Gus, the son they adopted in 2016. Six years after the show ended in 2017, many fans still miss them and must wonder where their favorite Jep and Jessica are now.
Jep and Jessica Robertson’s Duck Dynasty Journey
Jep and Jessica had already been married for over a decade when they entered the show with the family. While both of them are from Louisiana, Jessica used to live in Texas earlier and was a real estate agent. Jep, on the other hand, worked shortly at Abercrombie & Fitch for a while before he met Jessica after high school. He was mostly known for Phil’s duck call business in the area and his role in helping it move forward. For the couple, it was love at first sight when she was 20 and he was 22, but it took a few meetings and months for them to start dating and get married, which all happened in 2001. They’ve always been a fun couple, but life and marriage weren’t consistently smooth for them.
On ‘Duck Dynasty,’ Jep and Jessica, along with their kids, have always been a huge part of the family and seemed to fit in naturally with them. But they had their share of problems, especially in 2014, when the show was still airing. Jep was hospitalized due to a seizure that was later diagnosed to be a result of meningitis and encephalitis. But Jessica stood by him and heaved a sigh of relief when Jep came out of the ICU. One year after this, the couple released a book they co-authored called ‘The Good, The Bad, And The Grace Of God,’ which highlighted how tough the initial seven years of their marriage were for both of them.
In an interview with Fox News, the couple discussed how Jep was reportedly molested in his childhood by an older girl, which made him develop trust issues with women, which was also reflected in the initial years of their marriage. They also discussed Jessica’s previous relationships before their marriage and how Jep had an issue with that. Even Jessica felt insecure when she saw Jep watching porn one time and felt that their marriage was crumbling at that point.
But they are both grateful for how much the Robertsons helped pull them out of their issues, especially Jep’s drug addiction earlier, and how counseling helped them work things out together. While ‘Duck Dynasty’ was still airing, Jep and Jessica even got their own spinoff in 2016 for two seasons, called ‘Jep and Jessica: Growing the Dynasty,’ where they introduced the world to their adopted son Gus, and Jep started his own food truck business.
Jep and Jessica Are Still Very Much in Love and Continue to Expand their Businesses
While there were plenty of hints from the Robertson family in 2017, Jep and Jessica announced after the show stopped airing that they had moved with their kids to Austin, Texas, to work on Jep’s food truck, Southern Roots. They were the first couple to move away, but it was apparently planned well in advance, with Jep and Jessica knowing a lot of people in Texas and thinking of spending the rest of their lives there. While this may sound controversial, Jessica has clarified that they are still very much in touch with the Robertsons, keep going back and forth, and feel like they are a huge part of the family.
In 2021, years after they moved, they launched a website for the food truck, participated in some podcasts, and even opened their own YouTube channel, where they continue to give daily updates to their fans. They even have a Facebook page together that they update people regularly. Now, Jep continues to attend events, has joined a faith-based organization, All God’s Children International, as their National Advancement Officer, is enjoying his food truck, and is even starring in another spinoff inspired by ‘Duck Dynasty,’ called ‘Duck Family Treasure,’ where he goes on a hunt for hidden treasure with his family.
On the other hand, Jessica is very closely in touch with the Robertson family, is active on social media and their YouTube channel, and has even started initiatives like ‘Genuine by Jess Box’ to support small businesses and a Duck Wives Linen Collection with her sister-in-law, Missy. Jep and Jessica recently celebrated their 22nd marriage anniversary in October, making no attempt to hide the kind of love they still share for each other. They both also feel very connected to the family and recently supported the film ‘The Blind,’ which is based on Phil and Kay’s early years and their struggles, and released a podcast, ‘The Blind Movie Podcast: The Robertson Family Story,’ talking about the film.
Read More: What Happened to Mia Robertson From Duck Dynasty?
