Jep Robertson Shares Phil Robertson’s Words of Wisdom for Making a Marriage Last

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Jeb Robertson, son of the late “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson, mentioned that something his father said about marriage has stuck with him and has helped to sustain and strengthen his marriage. He stated that one of the biggest lessons he learned from his father about holy matrimony was to never give up.

Jeb, along with his wife Jessica Robertson, told The Christian Post that Phil Robertson and his wife, Kay, had a massive impact on their marriage by helping them understand and recognize that a marriage is not something that is to be thrown away and discarded at the first sign of trouble or distress. Instead, they were taught and learned that marriage is a lifelong covenant between a husband and a wife, based on faith, forgiveness and perseverance.

“The biggest thing is just not giving up,” Jep said. “It’s really easy to throw in the towel, be like, ‘It’s too hard. I can’t do this.’”

He mentioned how his father, who passed away in May 2025 at 79, also likened a marriage to the commitment one makes when they turn and surrender their life to Christ. 

“My dad always said this: You make two pledges in your life. If you’re a Christian, one is to serve Jesus the rest of your life. You’re His. In order to have life, you give it up,” Jep recalled. “The other one is you pledge yourself to a person on this Earth, and that’s that. That’s a vow to God. We take it very, very seriously.”

Meanwhile, Jessica stressed the importance of practicing forgiveness in their marriage.

“You’re not going to be perfect,” she said, adding that recognizing “I need forgiveness and grace just as much as he needs grace and forgiveness” makes it easier to move past conflict and begin “rooting each other on.”

She also acknowledged the challenges she and her husband faced in the early years of their marriage.

“People say, ‘Oh, that first year is so hard.’ I said, ‘The first seven years were really hard.' It was like a roller coaster ride,” Jessica said.

As they approach two and a half decades of marriage, Jessica shared how their marriage has grown into a deep friendship in which they enjoy each other’s company.

“We really love being with each other. We get along. We’re friends,” she said. “There’ll be a time where it is us a lot more, and it’s so refreshing to know that we actually do really enjoy being together.”

Jep noted that their marriage significantly improved when they learned to view each other as teammates rather than opponents in disagreements.

“At some point, we got on the same team, and it was OK to make a mistake,” he said. “We all make mistakes, and then just forgive and move on.”

In addition to his parents, Jep also commended his oldest brother, Alan, a pastor, and other family members for helping them navigate difficult seasons.

“It really does take a village, I think, for your marriage,” he said. “It’s just like raising kids. It’s the same thing for your marriage.”

The Robertsons are featured in the new series, “Jep & Jess: Beyond the Bayou,” which premiered Aug. 13 on the streaming platform Great American Pure Flix and airs Saturdays on Great American Family and GFAM+. The series follows Jeb and Jessica as they move from Louisiana, where their family became famous on “Duck Dynasty,” to Comanche Moon Ranch in Texas as they seek to grow a community through hospitality, craftsmanship, relationships and faith.

Photo Credit: ©Jason Davis/Getty Images for BRAVE Books

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.