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1 month ago
8 [Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Buckle up. There’s a massive family saga unfolding for country star Rory Feek — and it’s concerning AF!
The musician is speaking out following allegations from his daughters Heidi and Hopie that he’s in a cult! Not only that, they say he’s putting his youngest daughter Indiana (“Indy“) in harm’s way!
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Late last month, Heidi declared on Instagram, “We no longer believe Indiana is safe under our father’s care.” The sisters believe Rory has put the 10-year-old — who has Down syndrome — in the care of people facing physical and sexual abuse allegations! Yikes!
Love, Dad
On Saturday, Rory fought back. The singer released a blog post titled “love, dad” in which he opened up about the family drama and shared his side of the story. He began by insisting the internet is “not the place to settle family disputes” but claimed he was speaking out publicly because he was left with no choice. He wrote:
“It is wrong in every way. My guess is that one day, my older girls, when they are even older girls, will look back and wish they had found a way to do this differently.”
He said he’s actually been facing allegations from Heidi for two years now and stayed quiet because, “I love my kids.” But amid new alleged legal action, he is breaking his silence… because “love is the only answer.”
OK, let’s rewind. As Perezcious readers might remember, Rory shared daughter Indy with his late wife, Joey Feek, who died of cancer in 2016. The older girls were from a previous relationship. Rory remarried Indy’s teacher Rebecca in July, and that’s around the time this drama really started to heat up. Indy was just 2 when her mom died, so this new addition to her family has been a big deal. As Rory reflected in his post:
“For the first time in her life, she has a mother.”
After the wedding, Indy was left with two families while her parents’ honeymooned — and this is where huge problems arose.
According to Rory, his older daughters are deeply concerned about his involvement in an organization called Homestead Heritage in Texas. The group describes themselves as “an agrarian and craft-based intentional Christian community.” The words may be benign enough, but we wouldn’t blame you if some of them put together like that sent up some red flags for those who pay attention to news about cults.
Well, it turns out concerns are warranted! The organization has faced multiple allegations of sexual and child abuse and domestic violence over the years, per The Texas Observer. Some of these allegations have even plagued one of the families he had Indy stay with! Addressing allegations he let his daughter stay with “child molesters,” Rory defended his friends:
“The other family are some of our closest friends who live in Greycliff [a satellite branch of Homestead Heritage in Montana]. Their littlest one and Indy are especially close. Brian and Eliza are two of the kindest, most beautiful people I’ve ever met in my life. We have stayed with them at their house as a family lots of times and know them, along with a lot of the other folks who live in Greycliff, very well. They don’t scare me or Rebecca; they inspire us. They show us that real love and a better life are possible in a world that is becoming filled with more hatred and self-centeredness every day.”
We’d just note that saying they “inspire” him and “don’t scare” him are nowhere near denials of these horrible allegations. He continued:
“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. 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. Rebecca and Indy and I love the people we’ve met, and whatever they’re doing, our hope is to be more like them.”
It’s not that everyone assumed it was “truth.” It’s just… a lot of people saying things “through the years”? That’s a hell of a lot of smoke for there to be no fire. And even the smoke is reason enough to fear for a child’s safety!
Rory complained the icky allegations have “broken my heart” while arguing that Indiana “has never been more loved or better cared for than she is right now.” Denying cult claims, he continued:
“If you’re asking if Homestead Heritage or Greycliff is a cult, the answer is no. Those folks are just living in a way that other people don’t like or understand, and it’s a whole lot easier to call something a cult and dismiss it than it is to look deeper into and actually find out what it is they are doing and why they’re doing it.”
He did, however, admit there are “always going to be bad apples” in any group — which is an incredibly disturbing thing to say considering the allegations. Is he hinting something did happen, but it’s not his friends or Homestead Heritage generally that was the problem? Oof.
‘Revenge’
Rory went on to redirect the attack, hinting his eldest children are some of those “bad apples” in his life — because he’s seemingly banned them from having any communication with their little sister! Rory noted that he used to let Indy stay with her siblings regularly, but he no longer allows her to visit because they would not respect his rules:
“Every couple of months, I used to let Indiana spend a night or two with her big sisters in Alabama, but about a year ago, I stopped allowing that. Mostly because they refused to respect my wishes when she was there.”
He explained:
“Heidi doesn’t think she has to respect my wishes when it comes to her little sister. They want Indy to watch the movies they want to play for her, listen to the songs they want her to hear, and be exposed to the things they want to expose her to. But Indiana is my daughter, and I know what Joey would want, and I am standing firmly on not compromising the values and principles that are important to me to raise Indy with.”
So they’re scared he’s exposing her to child molesters, he’s upset they’re exposing her to what? Taylor Swift? Frozen 2?
He said used to let them “call” Indy regularly, too, but that stopped “when the sheriff showed up at my door with a summons saying that I was being sued by Heidi and Hopie, and I had to hire a lawyer to defend myself and my little one.” He detailed:
“But soon after, when Child Protective Services called me out of nowhere, saying that it had been reported that Indiana was being neglected, along with other accusations, Heidi and Hopie forfeited their right to speak to their little sister. The situation had escalated to them taping the conversations they were having with her and leading her on so they could find ammunition to use against me, and it had become clear that Heidi wasn’t looking out for Indiana’s best interest—she was looking for revenge and a way to hurt me, no matter the cost, and I was no longer going to let Indiana be a part of it.”
What does he think they’re looking for “revenge” for? This really isn’t making much sense.
He blames this scandal on the family’s differing “beliefs and worldviews” — which really became evident during the coronavirus pandemic. The 59-year-old described himself as “a conservative Christian” who got involved with Homestead Heritage and Greycliff in search of “true community” and to live a simpler life. Again, so many red flags…
Despite the rift, Rory says Indy “absolutely” misses her sisters and asks about them “all the time and would love to see them.” Unfortunately, she’s not going to get that chance right now thanks to all this mess. Rory went on:
“I know they are angry and frustrated and want justice for the wrongs they think have been done. But if I’ve learned anything in my nearly 60 years, it’s that it doesn’t work this way…. I will readily admit that I wasn’t a perfect father when they were young, but I tried to be a good one. And I continue every single day to do my very best for Indiana.”
You can read his full blog post HERE.
What Heidi & Hope Say
Rory’s post comes just days after Heidi and Hope opened up about their father and complicated childhood in a Taste of Country interview. Heidi also spoke out about why she and her sister were so concerned for Indy — especially as it pertained to the SA allegations surrounding their father’s friend group — in an IG post on Thursday. She may have revealed what Rory was hinting at when he said they want “revenge.” Because she says friends of the family were inappropriate with them as kids, too:
“Rory often left Hopie and I with people who took advantage of us – Hopie far worse than me, but she isn’t ready to tell that story yet. Recently Indy was left in the care of a group with a well documented history of physical and sexual abuse of children. Indiana, who has special needs, deserves to be in a safe and stable environment where her well-being is the top priority.”
As you can imagine, the sisters are now furious with their father’s response — and are especially irritated with the comments made about Indy’s mother! In an open letter shared with People and on Instagram on Sunday, the girls said they are “just happy to hear from him” after they reached out privately to no avail, saying:
“You’re right of course, online isn’t the place to settle this. We don’t know if you are aware, but we’ve been trying to reach you for months now offline, but you haven’t been responding. Our hope is that this letter will find you, so you can know where our hearts are. Love is action, not words. We forgive you for your unkind words. You called us cowardly in your blog post for not facing you. We forgive you.”
Heidi provided a screenshot of unanswered texts she sent trying to get in touch with Indy. They went on:
“The last time we sat down to have this conversation, without a mediator as you requested, you told us you were done being our father. We forgive you.”
They also said they “forgive” him after he “abandoned” them in the middle of the night as kids and boarded a bus out of town, something he admitted to in his audiobook, saying he dreamed of a life “that didn’t have the responsibilities” he had (though he eventually returned home). Heidi wrote in the letter:
“We found peace in our own lives and have taken the long journey of healing. We have come out stronger on the other side of our childhoods.”
She added:
“My heart aches for Joey. You went on to say, ‘For the first time in her life, she has a mother.’ How can you say that?”
That had to have hurt given Joey’s death! Determined to fight for what they believe is best for their little sister, they concluded their message:
“Love is action. And we love our little sister Indiana more than anything in the world. So we are taking action. Love, your daughters.”
You can see the sisters’ response (below):
Dillon’s Part
Heidi’s husband Dillon Hodges also reached out to Rory, claiming he was the one who was bending the rules during Indy’s visits, he revealed:
“While I tried my best to respect your wishes when Indy came to visit us (we never allowed her to look at screens, and always prayed before meals, etc), I’ll admit that I regularly let her listen to Disney songs (and sometimes even Whitney Houston) on my iPhone. I know you said no music, but please don’t punish the girls for my actions.”
OMG, we were kidding about Frozen 2, is that really the issue? The poor girl isn’t allowed to listen to pop music??
Dillion also revealed he has recorded conversations between Rory and his older daughters, sharing:
“I have been shocked and appalled by the way you have treated all your children, so I felt the need to document it. You are no hero. You are no victim.”
It’s unclear what legal action the girls have taken or what specifically they intend to go after him for, but a GoFundMe page has been set up to help Heidi and Hopie afford legal feels. The campaign page explained:
“Hopie and Heidi are in a legal battle to ensure Indy receives the care and protection she desperately needs. This process is complex, emotionally draining, and incredibly expensive. They wouldn’t be fighting this battle unless it was absolutely necessary to keep Indy safe.”
This sure is a complicated situation!!!
We hope, no matter what is true, that Indy is safe! Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via People/YouTube & Rory Feek/Instagram]
