Jep Robertson, one of the favorite Duck Dynasty sons, last week shared a secret that shocked reality TV show audiences around the world, especially in the wake of the Josh Duggar molestation revelations.
Robertson, 37, told Entertainment Tonight an older girl sexually abused him when he was a boy. The interview was part of the release of his new book: The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God: What Honesty and Pain Taught Us About Faith, Family and Forgiveness.
“Basically, I was young. I was 6 and it was on the school bus and it was an older girl (who) was just real mean. … In the end, I think probably she was just terribly abused herself,” Robertson said. “A lot of things took place—and scary stuff. You know, it was tough. I didn’t want to go to school. I had a lot of absences.”
Now, Robertson, 37, is under attack for his revelations. Some are questioning how he could possibly remember something that happened when he was 6 years old.
“It’s kind of hard for me,” Jep admitted to E! News when being interviewed in the comfort of his West Monroe, Louisiana, family home. “It’s embarrassing and all that so I didn’t do it to get any attention for sure.”
Robertson’s wife, Jessica, came to his defense.
“Kay [Jep’s mom] didn’t even know all those years that it happened,” she explained. “We talk a lot with our kids and we want them to know that no matter (what), it wasn’t their fault and you can always come to us.”
So, then, why did Robertson keep the abuse on the down low for over 30 years?
“If you think long enough—and I think I did—that it didn’t happen or I’m just never going to think about it again, it will never come back again,” he explained. “What’s sad is I’d look on Twitter and I saw several comments like ‘How could you remember something when you were 6 years old? … This went on for a couple of years. I know exactly what happened. There’s no I think or maybe.”
