Leaving the nest was easy for Duck Dynasty’s John Luke Robertson.
At Virginia’s Liberty University, wife Mary Kate “is a built-in friend,” the author of Young & Beardless exclusively tells Us Weekly. “I know I always have someone who’s going to be right there and who’s not going anywhere.”
Between studying and caring for pup Pippa, the Camping, Outdoor and Adventure Leadership major, 20, and his wife, 19, have a routine. “We’re good at prioritizing,” the A&E star, who married Mary Kate last June, adds. “We make sure to have dinner together every night. And then for lunch, we usually go out separately with our friends … Making it to class is the biggest challenge!”
Still, he found the time to write his new book (out May 17), in which he reveals what it’s really like to grow up as a Robertson and shares the life lessons he’s learned along the way.
“The biggest piece of advice is that we have more opportunities than any other generation,” Willie and Korie Robertson’s oldest son says. “And I think we waste that. You’ve got all the resources to do anything that you can imagine to do and so don’t waste that!”
Writing, he adds, “took a year from start to finish. I started senior year [of high school] and wrote a lot of the backstories about my childhood. Then the rest of the book I actually wrote as I went along. I wanted to give a good story.”
One nugget he won’t be sharing: how to grow a beard like his famous family. “My face is just not ready for that yet!” he jokes. “My body isn’t having it!”
