To say Willie Edwards is the bravest of the lot wouldn’t be a huge understatement. After all, it takes guts to go alligator hunting on your own. Willie is the oldest son of veteran swamper Junior Edwards and his wife Therese Edwards. Born and raised in a gator-hunting family, Willie followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather ever since he was old enough to walk. With his father hanging the boots to focus on hoop net fishing Willie had to up his game to carry his family name. While he did hunt on his own for a while, his son Little Willie had little option but to step up as a young gator hunter and join him in the Swamp. In this article, we will bring everything to know about Willie Edwards including the family tragedy he suffered.

Who is Willie Edwards?

Willie Edwards is a television personality, an alligator hunter and a commercial fisherman who stars in the History Channel’s series Swamp People. He joined the show alongside his father, Junior Edwards, who taught him how to hunt and survive in the swamps of Louisiana. With Junior now focused on hoop net fishing, Willie is accompanied by a new generation and budding gator hunter his son Little Willie Edwards.

Early Life:

William Edwards III was born on June 20, 1982, in Bayou Sorrel, Louisiana, United States. Born into a gator-hunting family in Louisiana, Willie Edwards spent much of his early life with his brother Randy Edwards. From a young age, both Willie and Randy were taught the secrets of gator hunting. The pair would often follow Junior during the gator hunting season. Junior Edwards is one of the last remaining year-round commercial fishermen in south Louisiana. When both Willie and Randy came of age, Junior parted the teachings to his sons. Willy learned all kinds of practical lessons on hunting from his father but that was not the end of his education. He also pursued formal education in his hometown later attending Plaquemine Senior High School.

Losing his brother:

For the longest time, Willie and Randy Edwards worked in pairs. Including their father, they were one of the most respected gator-hunting trios in all of Louisiana. But in September 2018, Randy lost his life in a car accident. His Chevrolet Silverado struck a pole on the Highway which caused the car to flip. When Randy was ejected from the vehicle, he sustained heavy injuries. The injuries proved to be life-threatening and Randy lost his life. Both Willie and Junior took to social media to announce the news of Randy’s untimely death.  Born on August 21, 1983, Randy Dale Edwards was only 35 when he took his last breath on September 15, 2018.  Randy was only a year younger than Willie Edwards.

Rite of Passage:

With the death of his brother and his father hanging the boots, Willie is the last man standing. A veteran swamper, Willie set out on his own for a while. Faithful to the old ways, Willie often relies on his trusty treble hook to reel in the gators. Willie is set on passing the skill to his two sons, and the eldest William Edwards IV ( aka Little Willie) seems to be keener and joins him in the hunt. In addition to being an alligator hunter, Little Willie also follows in his father’s footsteps as a reality television actor. Little Willie made Swamp People debut in 2020 and appeared in 23 episodes until 2022.

Swamp People:

The reality television show Swamp People premiered on the 22nd of August 2010 and featured three generations of the Edward family clan. Willie, his father Junior, and now his son Little Willie. Willie made Swamp People debut in season 1 episode 1 entitled “Big head BItes It,” however he was not a regular cast member. Willie slowly got into the stature and began regular during season 3. However, at the end of season five, Willie Edwards was fired from the show in 2015. There were all sorts of rumors regarding his departure. It is said that Willie asked for a raise in pay leading showrunners to fire him. However, showrunners never revealed the actual cause of the firing and have restricted any cast member from talking on the matter.

Return back to Swamp People:

Once a cast member is fired from the show the chance of returning to the very show is a bare minimum. However, in Willie’s case, showrunners could not ignore his gator-hunting skill and also the fact he was a proven and influential personality. After being away for nearly three years, Willie made his comeback in 2018 re-debuting on season 9 episode 16 titled “Lone Hunter.” As the title suggests Willie Edwards was on his own after his father Junior Edwards stepped away from Alligator hunting to focus on hoop net fishing. Willie is now a regular cast member and over time his son “Little Willie” has joined him in his hunting expedition. Will Edwards has made over  102 episode appearances up until 2023.

Personal Life

Wife and Children:

Willie Edwards is married to Sherrie Bonin Edwards who is from Berwick, Louisiana. The relationship between the pair began as a love affair when they were just teenagers. Willie was 18 years old when he and Sherrie got married. The pair had their wedding reception on August 20, 2000, in Louisiana among their close ones and family relatives.

In the years of togetherness, the pair have given birth to three children- a daughter Michaela Deshaye Edwards, and two sons William Edwards IV, & Landon Edwards. Little Willie is a high school graduate of Plaquemine Senior High School, he graduated in 2019. We can say, Little Willie is no more “little,” he indeed is married to Victoria Edwards. Landon is the youngest of three.

Death of his eldest daughter:

There is a reason we do not see Michaela Deshaye Edwards on Swamp People. Michaela is the eldest born of the pair who passed away. Michaela preceded her uncle and godfather, Randy Edwards in death. Gone but not forgotten, Sherrie is there to remind everyone she is the mother of three children and writes her daughter’s name on her Facebook bio. Also, her motherly love was evident as she wished a “Happy Heavenly Birthday” to her deceased daughter on October 20, 2020, also reminding her followers that it would have been her 20th birthday.

According to Sherrie’s Facebook, we came to deduce that the eldest daughter Michaela was conceived before the pair had their wedding ceremony and was born in October a few months after their wedding.

More Tragedy:

Willie Edwards has faced one after another tragedy. Not just the loss of his brother, Randy, and daughter, Michaela, Willie had to bear the loss of his niece Katelyn Edwards too. Katelyn is the daughter of his late brother Randy Edwards. The details of when and how Katelyn passed away are not shared outside the family. Katelyn preceded her father in death.

Net Worth

Willie Edwards has a reported net worth of $500,000. Much of his earnings come from alligator hunting and the reality TV show Swamp People. He also earns from merchandise and meets and greets with his fans.

Age, Nationality, Ethnicity

Willie Edwards is a resident and native of Bayou Sorrel, Louisiana born to Junior Edwards and  Theresa Edwards. Born under the zodiac sign “Gemini,” in the year 1982, Willie celebrates his birthday on June 20. As of now, Willie Edwards is 40 years old. He holds American citizenship and belongs to the white ethnicity.

Body features & measurement:

Willie Edwards is undoubtedly an athletic person that is how he keeps up with laborious work during the alligator hunt. Blessed with naturally blonde hair, Willie has blue eyes. His measurement such as height, weight, and shoe size is not available for now.

Wiki/Bio Facts:

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