Even if you’re not a big fan of reality TV, there’s no way you don’t know the Robertson family. For years, their show “Duck Dynasty” was on the peak of popularity, gaining them millions of dollars in ads, merchandise and boosting up their company in a fashion that could only be possible thanks to the so-called magic of television.
Whether it was for good or bad, everyone in the family gave us something to talk about, but it was Si Robertson who kept us entertained the most with that Southern accent, his stories, and good sense of humor.
Given his fan-favorite status regardless of how long “Duck Dynasty” has been off-air, no one is surprised Si still makes it into headlines, for positive and not-so-positive reasons.
So is it true that he went to jail, or was it a misunderstanding? Keep with us to know more about uncle Si’s whereabouts, his past problems with the law, and so much more!
Why Was Uncle Si In Jail?
Uncle Si is arguably the most popular in “Duck Dynasty”, but unlike some other scandal-prone members of the Robertson clan, his fame is due to his lightheartedness and delightful sense of humor.
That’s why when in July 2021 he posted a couple of mugshots on his Instagram page with the caption ‘You can send me to prison, boys, but I’ll still be free in Jesus’, many were surprised and worried at the insinuation that he could have been jailed.
To make it clear, Si’s mugshots were actually fake, as he was promoting the then newly-released episode of his podcast “Duck Call Room”, in which he talked about recently going to jail, not as a prisoner but as a visitor.
As it happened, uncle Si visited an Oklahoma State penitentiary, as he was in the state for that year’s 4th July celebrations. While there, he met a convicted man named Steven, who refused to listen to Si’s friends’ Bible readings, and instead asked uncle for money to pay his fine. The story ended on a sour tone, as the man left the visitor’s room after being refused the money, but even so, Si asked his audience to pray for Steven’s recovery and for his family.
Was He Charged With Theft?
Now that you know Si Robertson wasn’t actually imprisoned, you might be wondering if he’s ever had any problems with the law.
Indeed, uncle Si had a short but memorable disagreement with the law in his early years. As he recalled in the 30th episode of his podcast “Duck Call Room”, premiered in May 2021, in his childhood, neighbor Tommy McKinney gave him the green light to take his horse for a ride anytime he wanted. The young Si took those words to heart, and once when he was invited to go fishing in a pond six hundred yards away, he took the horse Old Dan without asking McKinney.
However, the situation took an ugly turn when a couple of hours later, the young Si was told McKinney’s father had told the police that he’d stolen the horse, which was apparently a huge crime back in the day – as he said ‘back in the day they hung horse thieves’.
After riding Old Dan back to town as fast as the old horse could run, Si cleared up the issue by explaining Tommy had allowed him to take the horse. However, what really made the story interesting was uncle Si’s usual lightheartedness while recalling it all.
What Is Uncle Si Doing Now?
While uncle Si is having some good times hosting his “Duck Call Room” podcast, and sharing time with his fans all around the US from time to time, he’s also gone through some rough times as of late. In mid-2021, Si was unfortunately infected with COVID-19, and his experience obviously wasn’t pleasant.
As seen in an April 2021’s episode of the “At Home With the Robertsons” online series, uncle Si had a rough time with the virus, and needed an oxygen cannula in intensive care too keep going. As described by his family, uncle Si was ‘zapped’ and had no energy while sick, to the point that he thought he wouldn’t make it out alive, especially considering he’s faced other concerning health issues in the past: ‘He’s had open-heart surgery and even some breathing issues, and so we just really panicked’, his nephew Willie commented.
Luckily uncle Si survived, and doesn’t need an oxygen cannula anymore, but the issue was worrisome while it lasted.
That’s fortunate news for all his fans, as the uncle and other members of the Robertson clan will be starring in their new show “Duck Family Treasure”, to premiere in June 2022.
Is Uncle Si Married?
If you were an avid fan of “Duck Dynasty”, you surely know that Uncle Si’s marital status was mostly not mentioned, so people assumed that he’s a bachelor. However, not only is Si married with kids, but is a dedicated family man.
As it happens, Christine Robertson has been married to Si since 1972, having welcomed two children named Trasa Lee born in 1975, and Scott Merrit born in 1977. The reason why neither Christine nor their kids appeared in “Duck Dynasty” was explained by uncle Si in an interview with In Touch Weekly in 2015: ‘she’s got better sense than all the rest of us’, he said in reference to the loss of privacy the family has apparently faced since their show’s debut: ‘We’ve lost our privacy. I don’t really like that part of it, to be honest. But I guess that’s the cost of being famous!’. Later, in 2016, Uncle also affirmed Christine’s poor health also made it difficult for her to keep up with the show’s rigorous filming times.
As for how they came together, uncle Si affirmed that Christine hadn’t said ‘yes’ to the ‘at least 100’ proposals from him, due to having previously discovered she was unable to have kids. However, they finally married and as some sort of miracle, she eventually conceived their kids. Nowadays, Christine and Si are the happy grandparents of four.
Was He Sued?
As far as we know, Si Robertson hasn’t been sued, but “Duck Dynasty” was indeed the subject of a lawsuit which directly involved the uncle.
Just as expected from a fan-favorite cast member, a huge part of “Duck Dynasty”s popularity was due to Si’s uncanny ability to quickly gain people’s hearts. His vibrant personality and endless good mood made him the perfect source of many catchy phrases, some of which were later commercialized by A&E, and which contributed to the millions of dollars in merchandise sales the family gained.
However, this commercial strategy didn’t always turn out well for the show and network.
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In 2014, A&E was sued for selling products marked with Si’s line ‘my favorite color is camo’, for apparently violating the trademark rights of Hajn, a clothing company based in Florida, which had already registered the slogan in 2011, a year before “Duck Dynasty” premiered.
In the complaint, Hajn asked that the slogan stopped being used for commercialization, and for A&E to pay damage compensation, stating unfair competition on their part, on top of confusing customers by offering similar products, but it’s unknown what happened to the case, as no further information has since been revealed.
The Uncle’s Scarecrow Case
It’s known that fame brings good and bad times, but it often causes people to engage in unusual activities too. That’s the case of a scarecrow made in 2013 in Ball Ground, Georgia, made to resemble uncle Si.
Despite taking approximately 40 hours to be made, the statue didn’t win the town’s scarecrow contest it was exhibited at.
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However, it gained the approval of many people, and attracted the attention of a local teen, who instead of simply admiring the scarecrow from afar, decided to steal it.
As expected, the theft caused an uproar in the community, leading the local police to offer $1,000 for information leading to the recovery of the statue. While it’s unknown what uncle Si thought about the scarecrow, news about it spread well enough for big media platforms such as Fox News and E! Entertainment to report the theft as well.
The case was solved when the police discovered the culprit, an unidentified 16-year-old boy who confessed his crime, also admitting that he’d burned the effigy after seeing all the publicity it created. The confession put an end to the mysterious case, but all the events surrounding the now-burned scarecrow is an indication of how popular “Duck Dynasty” was at its peak.
Uncle Si’s Faith
Regardless of his lightheartedness and seemingly relaxed attitude, every good fan of uncle Si knows well that he’s a man dedicated to his faith.
It started in his youth, when the war took a toll on his well-being physically and mentally, leading him to develop serious addictions: ‘I was largely drinking to forget where I was. When you’re in a place like Vietnam, you get to a point where you don’t care anymore’, he wrote in his 2013 book “Si-Cology”.
In his book, Si admits to having almost killed a Vietnamese woman and a kid while drunk, events which made him realize that he needed to quit drinking. Back at home in the US, he was finally sober, but his brother’s Phil’s addiction to drugs and alcohol told him that they needed a real solution. The Robertson brothers ended up recovering after embracing their faith in Jesus, which was apparently the best decision Si took in his life, as he told Fox News: ‘That’s what got me through 65 years of life’.
Now that those dark times are in the past, it’s not rare to find Si preaching his Catholic views, even when he signs his autographs, with John 3:16 and 17 his favorite Bible verses.
Views On Gun Control
The Robertson clan is known not only for earning millions from selling duck callers, but also for their controversial takes on religion, society and of course, about guns. While normally Si stays away from talking too much about the latter topic, that doesn’t mean his opinion on it isn’t well known.
During 2013’s Texas Crawfish Festival, uncle Si admitted openly to being against gun control in the US, as he considers other topics more deserving of attention: ‘America hasn’t got a gun control problem, we have got a sin control problem’. Clearly, his views on the free ownership of firearms is a matter directly related to humans’ nature and religion: ‘Duck Dynasty is full of flawed people that have turned to Jesus, OK? That’s the difference’.
Although leaving many open questions, uncle Si’s views on gun control laws are crystal clear, even though his way of expressing it is less straightforward than his brother Phil’s.
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Music Career
True to his free-natured personality, uncle Si is unsurprisingly an avid music fan, especially if it’s country. Thanks to his fame and willingness to do whatever he wants, in 2017 he released his first EP, “Me and My Smokin’ Hot Honey”, featuring artists such as Jessica Andrews and the Mauldin Brothers.
Out of the six tracks, the EP’s homonymous song is clearly the most special for featuring not only the famous country artist Kix Brooks, but also for being a 43th wedding anniversary gift from Si to his wife Christine, who’s a devoted fan of Brooks.
The celebratory intent behind the EP is pretty obvious, seeing how its cover romantically portrays Si and Christine, even regardless of “Duck Dynasty”’s already known cancellation at the time: ‘I’m gonna make this my new career choice. I had a blast!’, as Fox News reported.
Although uncle Si didn’t release any more music, he can proudly say that he achieved the dream, even if short-lived.
Does Uncle Si Have His Own Show?
Besides “Duck Dynasty”, uncle Si Robertson has appeared in other productions, including several talks shows, the movie “Faith of Our Fathers”, and the series “Last Man Standing”.
However, Si’s big opportunity came with the release of his own show, “Going Si-ral” in 2016. Although the online show barely aired for one season, it was entertaining enough to cement Si’s fame as the funniest one of the clan. Afterwards, Si kept away from TV, limiting his appearances to public events, his brother Phil’s online series “Unashamed”, and his own podcast “Duck Call Room”. That is until 2022, when it was announced that many members of the Robertson clan were returning to TV for “Duck Family Treasure”.
This new show follows Si and his nephews Jase and Jep, as they look for lost treasures and artifacts, without forgetting to include a lot of comedy as well. This is big news for old “Duck Dynasty” viewers, and especially for Si’s followers, who have been waiting a little bit too long to see their favorite veteran duck hunter back on TV again.
