Phyllis Robertson Thomas, the daughter Phil Robertson didn’t know he had until 2020, is remembering her late father following his death.
Prior to becoming a Christian, Phil Robertson was a wild man. His brother Si said, “he was the devil himself.” While his young wife, Kay, was home taking care of their boys, Phil was living an adulterous life and drinking heavily which resulted in a daughter he didn’t know about for more than four decades.
About 10 years into their marriage, both Phil and Kay gave their lives to Jesus. They spent the next five decades rebuilding their family and building a legacy for the generations that were to follow.
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Miss Kay said she always knew there was a chance Phil had fathered other children. So it wasn’t a huge surprise when a woman came forward in 2020 to say that she was Phil Robertson’s daughter.
In an episode of I Am Second, Kay said, “I don’t know how he could ever think something like this would not happen. I had prepared my boys years ago, when they were growing up, that there may be a boy appear at our house that would look just like them, and he would probably be their brother. So this was 44 years later and it was a daughter.”
Phyllis’s Story
In the same video, Phyllis shared that she often felt out of place in the family she grew up in. She felt that her looks and personality were very different from the rest of her family.
When her son did a DNA test through Ancestry.com, the results showed that Phyllis’s sister was a half-sister. This led to Phyllis doing more research before eventually confronting her mother who confessed that the man who raised Phyllis wasn’t her father.
“There are resources out there to help you connect with your biological family. But there was nothing that said, ‘If you find out that your biological dad is a celebrity, this is what you should do,'” she said.
Phyllis reached out to Phil and Kay’s oldest son, Al, through a letter. Unsure if Al had received and read the letter, Phyllis and her husband made the drive from Missouri to Louisiana to hear Phil preach. She had made a copy of the letter she wrote to Al and handed it to Jase with a request to make sure the letter got to Phil.
Phil did receive the letter, and after taking a paternity test, Phyllis found out that Phil was, in fact, her father.
Making Up For Lost Time
Shortly after his paternity was confirmed, Phil Robertson and his daughter Phyllis met for the first time. Phil recalled that meeting in detail.
“I put my hands on her face and I looked into her eyes to see if I could see a little of me in there,” Phil said. “And I did. And I thought, ‘Welcome aboard.’ A daughter I didn’t know I had. She was lost, but now she’s found.”
Miss Kay welcomed Phyllis into their family with open arms, calling her “their daughter” and sharing that she had always prayed for a girl.
The father and daughter immediately started making up for lost time. It started with a long conversation as they got to know each other, and ended with an invitation for Phyllis and her family to move to Louisiana to live next door to Phil and Kay.
Over the next few years, Phyllis and Phil spent time together as he taught her to duck hunt, included her in family events like vacations and holidays, and got to know her family. Phyllis documented many of these events on social media.
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Phyllis Reacts To Phil’s Death
Following Phil Robertson’s death on Sunday, May 25, 2024, Phyllis shared a personal note along with a series of photos of her and her dad.
“These are just a small glimpse of the countless moments we hold dear. We’re truly moved by the overwhelming love and prayers shared by so many whose lives were impacted by Dad. We wish we had more time, but we have overwhelming joy knowing he has met Jesus face to face,” Phyllis wrote.
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Watch Phil, Kay, and Phyllis talk about finding each other and how Phyllis’s story is an extension of Phil’s testimony in the video below.