Rory Feek spoke out two days after his daughters announced that they are pursuing legal action against him out of concern for their 10-year-old sister, Indy.
Rory Feek, a singer-songwriter best known as half of the husband-wife duo Joey + Rory, posted a lengthy essay Saturday morning addressing claims made by his daughters, Heidi and Hopie.
Heidi and Hopie, Feek’s daughters from his first marriage, revealed earlier this week that they are pursuing legal action against their father because they don’t believe their little sister is safe. The sisters also added that Rory had cut off communication between them and Indy and that Rory had left the 10-year-old in the care of people in an organization known for child abuse.
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While it isn’t the first time Heidi has posted hurtful comments about her father, it is the first time Rory has responded. In his blog post, Rory clarifies that he would rather keep their family struggles private, but felt a need to respond due to the attention Heidi and Hopie’s claims have received recently. He also explained why he hasn’t spoken up before now.
“Although Heidi has been posting hurtful stuff online for months, actually for two years now, I have never responded. Not once. Not because I don’t care or because what she and they’ve been saying is true. And not because it doesn’t hurt me, because it does. The things she’s shared have broken my heart. They still are. But the reason I don’t respond is simple… I love my kids,” Rory shared.
He adds that the only way for their family to heal is to love each other, despite differences of opinion.
“For a wounded family to find its way to becoming whole, love is the only answer,” Rory wrote. “I am going to have to love you more, even when I’m disappointed in the choices you make. And you are going to have to love me more, even when you don’t like me.”
Rory Feek went on to address several of Heidi and Hopie’s accusations directly, including claims that they aren’t allowed to talk to Indy anymore.
He clarified that Indy was allowed to see them and speak with them, but wasn’t allowed to spend the night due to them not honoring his wishes as a father and following rules he had in place for Indy.
However, the sisters’ right to see Indy was withdrawn after they turned Rory into Child Protective Services and were “taping the conversations they were having with her and leading her on so they could find ammunition to use against me.”
Rory further explained that the 2020 pandemic revealed a stark difference between his worldview and that of his oldest daughters.
Rory wrote, “I am a conservative Christian and believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and a blueprint for how we should live our lives, so I make my choices accordingly. Heidi believes something completely different, which I’m okay with. They are welcome to have their viewpoint and make their choices as they see fit. It’s their life, and they have every right to live it as they wish.”
He added, “But accepting that another person has a different worldview doesn’t mean that I have to believe in or champion it in the same way that I wouldn’t expect them to champion what I believe if it’s not truly what’s in their hearts.”
Regarding the claims that he had joined a cult and had left Indiana in an unsafe environment while on his honeymoon, Rory responded, “I am not a perfect father, but I’m also not an idiot.”
Feek defended his friends and the community of Greycliff, which he and his late wife, Joey, became involved with before her passing in 2016.
“What saddens me about the accusations against them the most is that no one reached out to me to ask about them or anyone else,” said Rory. “They just looked online, found people saying bad things that frustrated ex-members and strangers have said through the years, and ran with it as truth.”
Rory Feek concluded his post with a plea for prayer that he, Heidi, Hopie, and Indy will be reconciled and learn to love each other.
“Pray for us. Pray that we will put our selfishness aside and choose to love each other. Pray that we will put our devices and our accusations down, swallow our pride, and get in the same room, without legal counsel or mediators, and begin talking and listening to each other, even if it’s hard and uncomfortable.”
Who is Rory Feek?
Rory Feek was a well-known songwriter in the country music industry with songs recorded by Clay Walker, Tracy Byrd, Blake Shelton, and more. He entered the national spotlight when he and his wife, Joey, competed on Can You Duet? on CMT in 2008.
Joey and Rory ultimately placed 3rd but amassed a large and loyal following for their music and Rory’s blog, This Life I Live. In the blog, Rory shared stories about their life on their rural Tennessee farm, their musical journey, the birth of their daughter, Indiana Boone, and Joey’s battle with metastatic cervical cancer.
The cancer ultimately took Joey’s life in 2016. He married daughter Indy’s school teacher, Rebecca, in 2024.