When most people think of the hit A&E show “Duck Dynasty,” they think of a wholesome, entertaining family with God-fearing values that sticks together. But Lisa Robertson, the wife of Al Robertson, revealed on Wednesday that she and her husband have had to overcome extraordinarily painful circumstances to get where they are today.
When it comes Duck Dynasty, most fans immediately think of a god-loving, family orientated squad that always has each others back. However, Lisa, the wife of Al Robertson revealed last year that the two of them had gone through some extremely challenging and dark endeavors.
“From about the age of seven, I was sexually molested until I was 14,” Lisa admitted. “And I think that was what triggered the bad thoughts and how I related to men, and thought of myself.”
According to Lisa the abuse ended the afternoon of her grandfather’s funeral, “for whatever reason, I was strong enough to say, ‘No more. It won’t happen again. And if you ever pursue me again, I’ll tell my dad.’”
“I knew that my dad would kill him, is really the reason why I never told my dad,”
she confessed. “I didn’t want him to be in prison.”
Al and Lisa started dating when they were both in high school. “I’d been in love with him since I was in the 6th grade, and I thought this would solidify the relationship,” Lisa said. “Absolutely, we’ll do it.”
However when she was 16 she got pregnant with someone else’s baby. Lisa admits that she terminated the pregnancy, and it regrets it, “It was the worst mistake I’ve ever made”.
“I took a life.”
“That should not be my choice. I have forgiven myself. I have found redemption through Christ. But there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it, and the child I could have had.”
When Al committed himself to a relationship with Christ, the two got back together and he said they started on a “new path.” Five years later they got married, but Lisa had an “emotional affair” with one of the members of the church where Al was ministering.
The two swept it under the rug as a close call, and believe their decision not to confront their many issues is what ultimately led to a lengthy physical affair Lisa had 14 years into their marriage.
“When we had been married 14 years, Lisa had an affair that lasted 14 months with a guy locally,” Al said. “She didn’t tell me. And this is what got us to, finally, the breaking point.”
Lisa said that when they finally sought help and went to a counselor, “the very first time we sat down with her it was almost like a burden was lifted.”
“I loved Lisa in spite of everything that had happened,” Al said. “The question was, could I not only forgive her, but could we move forward and then live the forgiveness?”
Al said it wasn’t easy, but he made a vow to forgive his wife and in 15 years, he hasn’t broken it.
“I said, ‘God, I’m going to make this step. I need to forgive Lisa and forgive myself, and I need to hold that forgiveness,’” he said. “And 15 years into this, I’ve never used what she has done or what I have done to hurt her or hurt me.”
The Robertsons say they are sharing some of the pain from their past in their new book “A New Season: A Robertson Family Love Story of Brokenness and Redemption” in the hope that their story will help others.
“Molestation takes place in families way too much. We need to talk about it more,” Lisa said. “We need to teach our children what is safe and what’s not safe, and our grandchildren. I talk to mine about it all the time. Of course I think they think I’m weird â ‘Do you know what a safe touch is?’ ‘Yes, ma’am.’”
“We need to talk about abortion. We need to say out loud and on purpose, ‘It’s murder. It’s wrong. It’s sinful,’” Lisa continued. “We need to talk about affairs. … We need to talk about it and help people overcome these things whenever it happens.”
