Silas Merritt Robertson, a.k.a. Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty, was hospitalized for several days following a hunting accident, Justin Martin and Phillip McMillan revealed in a January 2025 episode of their podcast, “Duck Call Room.” After they broke the news, the internet exploded. Many fans feared that the 76-year-old could have died from the medical emergency. In fact, multiple X users presumed he was dead. So, what exactly happened to Uncle Si, and is he alive?
Below, Hollywood Life is breaking down everything that happened to Duck Dynasty‘s Uncle Si.
What Happened to Uncle Si From Duck Dynasty?
Martin and McMillan revealed on their podcast that Uncle Si “fell trying to get out of the boat,” pointing out that the fall was “steep.”
“Typical Silas Robertson, he’s in a dang hurry to get out of the boat and into the Polaris, he fell,” Martin said. “He went to take a long step instead of waiting on us,”w
Though Martin said that Robertson “bounced right back up,” he admitted that Uncle Si “didn’t want anybody to see that he fell,” but “the problem is you’re covered in mud now, like we know you fell.”
After getting back to the clubhouse to enjoy breakfast, Martin recalled they looked around and “there’s no Si” anywhere, adding that Robertson was “just sitting outside in the cold.”
“I immediately thought he had a concussion because it was out of character,” Martin pointed out, before McMillan added, “I get a call from Christine’s caretaker, Elizabeth. She says, ‘Phillip, we’re heading to the ER.’”
Robertson was hospitalized because his oxygen level was low, which could have been from a panic attack, the co-hosts pointed out.
“I said, ‘What is going on?’ And I figured he would start laughing and talking. [But] no, he said, ‘Man, I’m in a lot of pain,’” McMillan noted. “He said, ‘I fell duck hunting and I think I broke some ribs.’ He always thinks it’s worse than it is.”
Is Uncle Si Still Alive?
Fortunately, yes, Robertson is alive and recovering from his injury, Martin and McMillan pointed out. After performing X-rays and blood work, McMillan revealed that “everything came back good” with “no broken ribs [or] bruised ribs.”
Multiple X users baselessly speculated that Robertson had died.
Si Robertson’s Health History
More than two years before his recent hospitalization, Uncle Si had surgery on his lungs in September 2022. At the time, he had trouble breathing, which Robertson attributed to his smoking habits, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a.k.a COPD) and even complications from COVID-19.
