Whatever Happened To Sadie Robertson After Duck Dynasty?

For 11 seasons on A&E, until it ended in 2017, "Duck Dynasty" viewers watched Sadie Robertson Huff navigate not only the larger-than-life members of her own family — the Robertson clan, owners of the Louisiana-based hunting and recreational gear company Duck Commander — but also her own personal growth from precocious high schooler to wife, mother, and motivational speaker. The popularity of the series also allowed Robertson Huff to establish her own media presence: she appeared on Season 19 of "Dancing With the Stars" and in the faith-based features "God's Not Dead 2" and "I'm Not Ashamed," while lending her vocals to a duet with Alison Krauss on the chart-topping "Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas" album in 2013.

Though the final season of "Duck Dynasty" may have ended regular TV appearances for Robertson Huff, she remains a popular, prolific, and successful figure in a number of other venues, from podcasting to publishing to other media ventures. She's also faced several personal challenges during this period, and shared her experiences with her growing fan base. Here's what Sadie Robertson Huff has been up to since the departure of "Duck Dynasty."

One big reason why Sadie Robertson Huff hasn't been as visible as she was during the "Duck Dynasty" heyday is that she's been busy raising a family. Robertson Huff, who married fellow social media personality Christian Huff at her parents' home in November 2019, gave birth to their first child, Honey James Huff, on May 11, 2021.

One year later, Robertson Huff posted an image on her Instagram account in which she held photos taken from an ultrasound scan, revealing that she was pregnant with the couple's second child. "A miracle is in motion," read the image's caption. Their second daughter, Haven, was born via C-section on May 22, 2023. Haven's birth was far less challenging than the one faced by Honey James; Robertson Huff revealed on a 2021 podcast that her firstborn's shoulder became stuck in the birth canal.

Doctors extracted Honey but discovered that she wasn't breathing. "They were about to take her to the NICU, and she just starting breathing on her own — like, they gave her a little oxygen that they had there and then she just did it on her own," recalled Robertson Huff on her podcast (via Today.com).

Though Sadie Robertson Huff is probably best known to a mass audience for her television appearances, she's also the author of eight books, including the 2014 best-seller "Live Original" and a 2016 novel, "Life Just Got Real." The success of these releases has led to other media opportunities, including a long-running podcast, "WHOA That's Good," which debuted in 2018.

Robertson Huff, who is the primary host of the faith-based podcast, bases many episodes on posing a single question — what's the best advice you've ever been given? — to guests like "Black Panther" star Letitia Wright, Grammy-winning gospel musician Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and "Today Show" co-host Kathie Lee Gifford. More often than not, the show has featured semi-regular reunions of the "Duck Dynasty" cast. Robertson Huff is frequently joined on episodes by her husband Christian, mom Korie, and brother John Luke, among many other members of the extended "Dynasty" clan, to discuss personal issues — including relationships, parenting and family life, and body image — from their own perspectives.

As previously mentioned, Sadie Robertson Huff vaulted from reality TV fame to best-selling author status on the strength of her 2014 book "Live Original." Subtitled "How the Duck Commander Teen Keeps It Real and Stays True to Her Values," the faith-based advice book set the tone for a slew of publications that followed in its wake over the next eight years, while also providing a name for her ever-expanding media and lifestyle empire.

With Cindy Coloma, Robertson Huff wrote 2016's "Life Just Got Real," a young adult novel about diametrically opposite teens who find connection in their shared faith. Robertson Huff later teamed with Beth Clark for 2018's "Live Fearless" and 2020's "Live: Remain Alive, Be Alive at a Specified Time, Have an Exciting or Fulfilling Life," both of which expanded upon the tenets put forth in "Live Original." Most recently, Robertson Huff and husband Christian penned "How to Put Love First," a relationship and faith-themed advice book themed around a 90-day challenge.

Just as the runaway success of "Duck Dynasty" (though it didn't make our list of the best reality shows of all time) led to Sadie Robertson Huff's publishing career, her line of books has also provided her with a lifestyle brand that encompasses a wide array of products and services for her audience. Live Original, the flagship site for Robertson Huff's many projects, offers visitors tickets to her speaking engagements and conferences, access to her podcast and books, and a blog offering advice on everything from difficult personal issues to daily affirmations.

Live Original also sells a wide array of merchandise — primarily apparel — but also takes the connection to Robertson Huff's followers a step further through an app, LO Sister, which offers connection to community groups, exclusive content, and for paid subscribers, access to a library of virtual workshops and speakers connected to Live Original. There's also LO Counseling, which provides faith-based individual counseling services via one-on-one sessions with Robertson Huff's friend, Freddie Amos, who holds a masters degree in clinical mental health from Auburn University. However, these are limited to Louisiana residents only.

Sadie Robertson Huff was poised to add television producer to her growing list of titles with a scripted series adaptation of her YA novel "Life Just Got Real." Robertson Huff signed a deal in 2021 with producer Brad Krevoy to bring her novel to the small screen. In addition to serving as producer on the series, Robertson Huff was also slated to make guest appearances on the program.

Robertson Huff seemed to have found an ideal producing partner in Krevoy, a former co-president of Orion Pictures whose feature credits included "Dumb and Dumber." Krevoy also produced hundreds of hours of family-friendly and holiday-themed content for the Hallmark Channel, Netflix, and the Great American Channel, as well as the Hallmark series "When Calls the Heart." However, it seems that even a producer as prolific as Krevoy couldn't get the proposed program off the ground; any information about a "Life Just Got Real" series appears to end after the initial flurry of articles in 2021.

Sadie Robertson Huff stepped out of her comfort zone in 2014 for Season 19 of "Dancing with the Stars." In a 2020 interview with E! Online, she said that she worked hard to achieve the physical strength and stamina to compete each week. Though it ultimately paid off — Robertson Huff and partner Mark Ballas placed second — the real challenge came later.

Robertson Huff said that once she stopped the intense "DWTS" workout, she noticed that people began commenting about her body. "They would say things that were not uplifting about the way I looked and how I needed to maintain the body that I had," she revealed. The comments intensified during this period because Robertson Huff was also modeling, and faced demands from the industry to lose more weight. "I would look at myself in the mirror, and I would think, 'I'm fat," and I was not at all," she explained. In 2017, Robertson Huff took to Instagram to share that she had struggled with what she described as "an eating problem connected to a negative body image for about a year."

The post featured two pictures: one in which Robertson Huff wore a fashionable dress, and the other with casual clothes and no makeup. "Looking back, I'm so sad those thoughts stole the beauty and joy of [the first] photo," she wrote. "The second picture is me — the girl behind the screen. This is real life."

Sadie Robertson Huff has also been forthcoming about the mental health challenges she faced after the complications that occurred during the birth of her first child, Honey. On an episode of her podcast (via Today.com), Robertson Huff confessed that she felt stuck in a loop of uncontrollable postpartum anxiety. 

"My mind kept going into the 'What ifs?' Like what would have happened if ... she didn't make it, what if she didn't end up actually coming out?" she explained. "It led me into 'Is she really OK, did she really make it through that, did I really make it through that? ... And you know, that is such a toxic brain spiral."

Robertson Huff's anxiety was overwhelming, but she also felt uncomfortable talking to her husband and family about her feelings. But when her husband, Christian, found her crying in a closet, she admitted that she was struggling with anxiety and sought help from a doctor who gave her perspective on her feelings. As Robertson Huff explained, "There are going to be things that make you have a fearful thought or start to feel anxious, but it's important that you don't just let that thought run rampant, that you actually exchange that with a different thought of gratitude."

Fans are eternally curious about what happened to the "Duck Dynasty" cast since the show left the air. In 2020, fans and family alike discovered that the Robertson clan had a secret member when it was revealed that Phil Robertson — Sadie's grandfather — had fathered a daughter during a turbulent period in his life. Phil, who struggled with drug dependency, and infidelity in his marriage to Kay Robertson during the 1970s, met his daughter, Phyliss, in 2020 after a test revealed that their respective DNA was a 99.9 match.

Robertson Huff told E! News that her first encounter with Phyliss came at a lunch date in 2023. "I was just sitting there with her like, 'This is so crazy! I'm talking to my aunt that I didn't know for so long, but now you're my dad's sister,'" she recalled.

Robertson Huff also told E! News that the family had followed her grandmother's example and embraced Phyliss as a newfound member. "If grandma Kay hadn't forgiven Phil 40 years ago, there's no way she could've welcomed Phyliss with open arms like that," she said. "If you're willing to walk through the hard things, walk past that regret, you can open your heart to receive the beautiful things."

Sadie Robertson Huff found herself at the center of a minor controversy after she and husband Christian took their two daughters to Disney World in 2023. Disney has found itself a target of  conservatives and some faith-based observers for their support of the LGBTQ+ community and what some have deemed "inappropriate content." Since Robertson Huff is a well-known figure in the faith movement, some considered the visit as a conflict with its values.

Robertson Huff addressed the criticism on an episode of her "WHOA That's Good" podcast. She noted that while she did not support what she described as morally objectionable subject matter, she also said that one's faith was not compromised by being among people that trucked in such alleged material. She also noted that Disney films such as "Frozen" and "Moana" also had positive elements, which she felt was enough justification to bring her two daughters — both avowed fans of Disney princesses — to the theme park.

Though her appearances on "Dancing with the Stars" and with her family on "Duck Dynasty" constitute the majority of Sadie Robertson Huff's screen work, she's also cultivated several acting roles on film and television. In addition to the previously mentioned faith-based features "God's Not Dead 2" — which also featured cameos by her father, Willie, and mom, Korie — and "I'm Not Ashamed," Robertson Huff also played the love interest to reality TV star turned country singer Lawson Bates in a music video for his 2017 single "Past the Past." That same year, she also performed similar duties for another country music star, Brett Eldridge, in the official music video for his single "The Long Way."

Robertson Huff also played a helpful hotel staffer opposite former "Battlestar Galactica" cast members Tricia Helfer and Paul Campbell in the made-for-TV romance "Sun, Sand, and Romance." She told TV Insider that she was thrilled to join the cast of the 2017 Hallmark Channel feature — especially after discovering where "Sun, Sand, and Romance" was actually going to be filmed (in Cancun, Mexico). 

She also revealed why she's given so few acting performances. "My main passion in my whole life is just to motivate and encourage guys and girls to just be confident in who they're originally meant to be," she said. "WIth that kind of being my foundation, if a movie doesn't line up with that — it doesn't inspire people to be the best version of themselves — then I just can't do it."

Like all parents of very young kids, Sadie Robertson Huff and her husband, Christian, know that allowing screen time for their two daughters can be a delicate balancing act. While some screen time can be educational and entertaining, too much screen time can be detrimental to the physical and mental health of children aged 12 and under. The American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommends limiting non-educational screen time for kids between the ages of 2 and 5 to 1 hour per weekday and 3 hours on weekends. 

On an episode of her podcast (via Movieguide), Christian and Sadie noted that they have cut out nearly all screen time for their children. "I would like to say, like 90% though: screen-free. 95% screen-free, which is a huge move for us," said Sadie.

The move itself was prompted by behavioral changes they noticed in their eldest daughter, Honey. "She was irritable, she was on edge," said Sadie. "It got to the point where I felt the screens were affecting her behavior." Once they limited screen time, they noticed an almost immediate change in her attitude. "It was so fun and fruitful," said Sadie. "Because we didn't have the screen, we had so much extra time to play ... it's been really nice."

If you or anyone you know needs help with an eating disorder, mental health, or addiction issues, please contact the relevant resources below:

• The National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

• The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).