Duck Dynasty’s Bryan Rucker Shares His Story of Recovery and Belonging in New ‘I Am Second’ Film
How a Once-Hopeless Man Became a Hope Dealer
PLANO, Texas, Oct. 5, 2023 — On the heels of the release of “The Blind,” global storytelling organization I Am Second released a new White Chair Film featuring Bryan Rucker, whose life was impacted by the Robertson family. The White Chair Film shares how Rucker overcame the difficulties of a broken life when he was welcomed into a community and given a second chance—even amid moments of weakness in his ongoing struggle with alcohol and drug addiction.
Growing up in a highly disadvantaged area of Houston, Rucker was exposed to gangs and drugs from a young age. At age 13, he endured extreme guilt following the unsettling death of his mother, thus inciting his profuse anger, the driving force behind his headlong dive into his own highly lucrative drug trafficking operation.
Following an arrest and incarceration sentence from an associated gang-related fatality, Rucker was released from prison and found himself right back home where he had started. Desperately searching for any way to earn a living without turning back to drug trafficking, he moved all over Texas, applying for job after job, receiving rejection after rejection.
“I remember I talked to a friend of mine,” shares Rucker, “He told me, ‘Man, you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing by not involving yourself in any gang activity—not selling drugs, trying to take care of your grandma—but you don't have any hope in anything.’ And it was true.”
Hopeless and nearly out of options, Rucker unexpectedly came across the Duck Commander business, home of the famous television show “Duck Dynasty,” owned and operated by the Robertson family. He applied for a job, interviewed in a candid and unconventional way, and to his surprise, got hired.
“They took a liking to me based on the way that I worked,” says Rucker, talking about the Robertsons. “I was always honest with people about where I came from and what I had been through. And so, they just kind of started showing me love... They told me that they cared about me. They gave me responsibility. And that was something that nobody had ever done before.”
Beyond giving Rucker an invaluable opportunity—and later, an undeserved second chance—the Robertsons surrounded the man that no one believed in with a community of support unlike any he had ever known, ultimately stretching his faith and empowering him to take steps forward in his recovery journey and toward an especially meaningful career.
To watch the exclusive I Am Second film, visit https://www.iamsecond.com/film/bryan-rucker.
About I Am Second
I Am Second is a nonprofit launched in 2008 that ignites hope and inspires people to live for God and for others. Its website, iamsecond.com, features written and film-based stories of more than 150 athletes, actors, models, musicians, cultural influencers and everyday people who have stepped in front of the camera and declared, “I Am Second.” For information, visit iamsecond.com.
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Julie Shutley
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