Rory Feek Details Attempt to Visit Daughters Amid Nasty Public Feud: 'We're at an Impasse'
Rory Feek is speaking out amid the ongoing family drama concerning his youngest daughter, Indiana. In a new new blog post, titled, "Canceled," the country singer wrote that nearly three weeks after daughters Heidi, 37, and Hopie, 35, called him out for reportedly cutting off contact and barring them from seeing their 10-year-old sister, he drove out to see them in an attempt to repair their relationship. "There are things that my older daughters and I need to work out together," Feek wrote. "Right now we're at an impasse on how that's ever going to happen." Heidi and Hopie threatened legal action against their father after voicing concerns over Indiana's well-being after the singer-songwriter married Indiana's former teacher, a woman named Rebecca, and dove deep into Homestead Heritage, an "agrarian and craft-based intentional Christian community," that many online have accused of being a cult. Feek wrote that while he knows his family "isn't perfect," and that they've "always been a work in progress," he wasn't prepared for just how bad the rift had gotten when he drove how to Alabama to try and hash out his disagreement with Heidi and Hopie. "[I had] hopes that we might be able to sit down and talk, or better yet, I'd just sit and listen to whatever they wanted to say and maybe have the chance to give them a hug and at least try to show them how much I love them," he wrote. "But even though their cars were in the driveway and they were inside, no one answered." The musician said he eventually left the two bouquets of peace lily flowers that he'd brought on the doorstep and drove back home. On his way back, he allegedly received a text from Heidi that read, "We are only willing to talk with you with a licensed therapist or attorney or both." "That is where the impasse comes in. They believe that it's the job of someone with a doctorate, legal or masters degree to repair what is broken in our family. And I believe that it's our job," Feek wrote. In a statement to PEOPLE, Heidi said she wasn't home when Feek arrived, but her husband Dillon and sister Hopie were. Dillon says that upon realizing the unannounced truck in the driveway was Rory, Hopie began having a panic attack. After a brief call to both Heidi and to their lawyer, Dillon went to answer the door to find Feek had already left on the two-hour drive home. "Regardless of the intention, it came off as intimidating. We've set really clear boundaries. We have such a hard time communicating with him and feeling heard that we really don’t feel like it’s possible without a third party," Heidi told the outlet. "[Visiting] was never for us, because if he was trying to reach us, he would do it in the way that we've requested of him, or at least text us and say, 'Hey, I'm coming.'" She also confirmed that she filed legal documents against her father earlier this month, and that Feek was served the day after he drove to Alabama. In his post, Feek alleged that he's had events and writing jobs canceled in the wake of the family's disagreements being made public, and that "people began to distance themselves" from him. "Unsure whether what they've heard or seen online might be true, and even if it's not, they need to make sure they don't personally get caught in any of the crossfire directed at me," he wrote. "All that said… I don't feel canceled. I feel the opposite of that. While all this has been taking place online, here at our farm in our actual physical lives, we've been having the greatest time settling into our new life as a married couple and family." Heidi previously expressed her frustrations with her father in an open letter shared on Instagram. In the letter, she wrote that she and Hopie had been trying to reach Rory offline "for months," but that he had not been responding. "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," Heidi wrote. "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," she continued. She included a screenshot of multiple unanswered text messages to her dad that were sent at various points in July asking about Indiana, and also explained why she felt the need to have a therapist or attorney present for any communications. "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," Heidi wrote. "We forgive you." Heidi also spoke at length of her concerns about Homestead Heritage and the controversy surrounding the Christian community, including some of its members having been arrested and charged with c
The family drama between the country singer and his elder daughters continues, as they voice their concerns over the care of Feek's younger daughter, Indiana, who has special needs.
Rory Feek is speaking out amid the ongoing family drama concerning his youngest daughter, Indiana.
In a new new blog post, titled, "Canceled," the country singer wrote that nearly three weeks after daughters Heidi, 37, and Hopie, 35, called him out for reportedly cutting off contact and barring them from seeing their 10-year-old sister, he drove out to see them in an attempt to repair their relationship.
"There are things that my older daughters and I need to work out together," Feek wrote. "Right now we're at an impasse on how that's ever going to happen."
Heidi and Hopie threatened legal action against their father after voicing concerns over Indiana's well-being after the singer-songwriter married Indiana's former teacher, a woman named Rebecca, and dove deep into Homestead Heritage, an "agrarian and craft-based intentional Christian community," that many online have accused of being a cult.
Feek wrote that while he knows his family "isn't perfect," and that they've "always been a work in progress," he wasn't prepared for just how bad the rift had gotten when he drove how to Alabama to try and hash out his disagreement with Heidi and Hopie.
"[I had] hopes that we might be able to sit down and talk, or better yet, I'd just sit and listen to whatever they wanted to say and maybe have the chance to give them a hug and at least try to show them how much I love them," he wrote. "But even though their cars were in the driveway and they were inside, no one answered."
The musician said he eventually left the two bouquets of peace lily flowers that he'd brought on the doorstep and drove back home. On his way back, he allegedly received a text from Heidi that read, "We are only willing to talk with you with a licensed therapist or attorney or both."
"That is where the impasse comes in. They believe that it's the job of someone with a doctorate, legal or masters degree to repair what is broken in our family. And I believe that it's our job," Feek wrote.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Heidi said she wasn't home when Feek arrived, but her husband Dillon and sister Hopie were. Dillon says that upon realizing the unannounced truck in the driveway was Rory, Hopie began having a panic attack.
After a brief call to both Heidi and to their lawyer, Dillon went to answer the door to find Feek had already left on the two-hour drive home.
"Regardless of the intention, it came off as intimidating. We've set really clear boundaries. We have such a hard time communicating with him and feeling heard that we really don’t feel like it’s possible without a third party," Heidi told the outlet. "[Visiting] was never for us, because if he was trying to reach us, he would do it in the way that we've requested of him, or at least text us and say, 'Hey, I'm coming.'"
She also confirmed that she filed legal documents against her father earlier this month, and that Feek was served the day after he drove to Alabama.
In his post, Feek alleged that he's had events and writing jobs canceled in the wake of the family's disagreements being made public, and that "people began to distance themselves" from him.
"Unsure whether what they've heard or seen online might be true, and even if it's not, they need to make sure they don't personally get caught in any of the crossfire directed at me," he wrote. "All that said… I don't feel canceled. I feel the opposite of that. While all this has been taking place online, here at our farm in our actual physical lives, we've been having the greatest time settling into our new life as a married couple and family."
Heidi previously expressed her frustrations with her father in an open letter shared on Instagram. In the letter, she wrote that she and Hopie had been trying to reach Rory offline "for months," but that he had not been responding.
"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," Heidi wrote.
"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," she continued.
She included a screenshot of multiple unanswered text messages to her dad that were sent at various points in July asking about Indiana, and also explained why she felt the need to have a therapist or attorney present for any communications.
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"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," Heidi wrote. "We forgive you."
Heidi also spoke at length of her concerns about Homestead Heritage and the controversy surrounding the Christian community, including some of its members having been arrested and charged with child abuse.
While Rory admitted there can be "a few bad apples" in large groups, while the community itself said in a statement that "in every case of abuse we've ever encountered, it was our ministry that exposed and reported the crime."
"I really just want to be able to be in my little sister's life and I can't," Heidi added in her statement to PEOPLE. "I'm trying to do the right thing."
Meanwhile, Feek said in his blog that Indiana, who has special needs, is doing "super well" and has recently started 5th grade with Rebecca as her homeschool teacher.