Rory Feek denied claims of endangering his 10-year-old daughter, Indiana, amid an ongoing “family dispute” with his two eldest daughters.
The country singer shared a lengthy blog post titled “love, dad” on Sunday to address allegations made by his eldest daughters, Heidi and Hopie, who claim Indiana is not safe with their father, who has allegedly prohibited them from seeing their younger sister.
Feek, 59, refuted the allegations that Indiana was unable to visit her sisters, saying she could do so “anytime” but can no longer spend the night at their homes because Heidi and Hopie have refused to respect his wishes about what Indiana can and cannot be exposed to.
“Heidi doesn’t think she has to respect my wishes when it comes to her little sister,” he wrote, explaining he holds conservative Christian values and his oldest children do not.
“They want [Indiana] 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.”
The “Gentleman” singer — who shares Indiana with his late wife, Joey — explained he knows what “Joey would want” and is committed to “standing firmly on not compromising the values and principles that are important to [him] to raise [Indiana] with.”
Feek added Heidi and Hopie also “forfeited their right to speak to their little sister” when a police officer showed up at his doorstep in the spring, claiming his eldest was suing him.
Shortly after, the musician claimed he was contacted by Child Protective Services for allegedly neglecting Indiana after Heidi and Hopie allegedly taped conversations with the 10-year-old as they tried to “find ammunition” against him.
“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,” he continued.
The “One Angel” singer shared that Indiana misses her sisters, writing, “I tell her that hopefully soon, we’ll all be back together, and she’ll get to talk to and see them again. I do look forward to that day almost as much as [she] does.”
Feek also addressed allegations that Indiana was left with members of an alleged “cult” when he went on his honeymoon with his new wife, Rebecca, in July.
“Indiana stayed with two families, both of who have little ones that Indy is very close to,” he wrote, adding that Homestead Heritage group, which has been accused of the sexual assault of children in the past, is not a cult but an “intentional Christian community.”
The father of three explained that while “Instagram and Facebook are not the places” to settle “family disputes,” he’s been forced to address the allegations online because of the “hurtful” claims against him.
Feek also suggested his daughter Heidi and Hopie were acting out against him because their birth mother, who had been absent for most of their lives, recently told them that the singer wouldn’t let her be involved in their upbringing.
Heidi raised concerns about Indiana when the 10-year-old allegedly “wandered into traffic” on a highway after being left unsupervised, per People.
Heidi alleged Indiana was “terrified and lost, until a stranger found her and brought her home.”
“Instead of addressing the danger she was in, my dad used this traumatic incident to create content that boosted his public image,” she claimed to the outlet.
Feek addressed the situation in May, telling Plain Values that he went looking for his daughter when he realized she was missing.
Recalling when Indiana came home, he said, “With tears in my eyes, I just held her tight, so thankful that she was okay.”
Heidi and Hopie also responded to Feek’s blog post in a statement via Instagram on Saturday, alleging they’d been trying to contact him “for months.”
“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,” they wrote.
The sisters continued, “Love is action. And we love our little sister Indiana more than anything in the world. So we are taking action.”
Feek shares Indiana with his late wife, Joey, who died of cancer in 2016, when their daughter was 2 years old.
He welcomed Heidi and Hopie during a previous relationship.
In July, the singer tied the knot with Rebecca, who was Indiana’s school teacher.
