The patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family might be suspended indefinitely from the hit A&E show, but his family could care less — they’re sticking right by his side.
The Robertsons released a statement regarding the anti-gay and bizarre race comments Phil Robertson made in a recent GQ magazine interview, rallying around the star and defending his controversial remarks.
“While some of Phil’s unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the Bible. Phil is a Godly man who follows what the Bible says are the greatest commandments: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Phil would never incite or encourage hate,” the Robertsons said in a statement.
The family even called into question the future of the show, saying that they weren’t sure the popular program could go on without Robertson.
“We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty,” it said.
If you recall, Robertson said homosexuality is a sin and put it in the same category as bestiality and promiscuity:
“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical,” he’s quoted as saying.
When asked what he thought was sinful, Robertson replied: “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.”
But it isn’t the first time he’s gone on an anti-gay rant. Video of Robertson giving a speech two years ago to a crowd of the Wild Game Supper at the Berean Bible Church in Pennsylvania has emerged and it seems that his views haven’t changed much since the success of the show.
Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson attacks gay people as ‘ruthless’ and ‘full of murder’ – charging them as ‘arrogant’ and liable to ‘invent ways of doing evil’.
Robertson accuses gay people of dishonoring and degrading behavior asking the rhetorical question ‘is this going on in America right now?’- answering with the statement, ‘Look around…boy, is there some immorality going on around here!’
Not surprisingly, the backlash from his most recent comments and the newly emerged video was immediate.
The NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign wrote a joint letter to the president of A&E expressing “outrage and deep concern about the recent racist, homophobic, and ill-informed remarks made by Phil Robertson.”
“Mr. Robertson claims that, from what he saw, African Americans were happier under Jim Crow. What he didn’t see were lynching and beatings of black men and women for attempting to vote or simply walking down the street,” the letter states.
“And his offensive claims about gay people fly in the face of science. In fact, it’s important to note that every single leading medical organization in the country has said that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being LGBT — it’s not a choice, and to suggest otherwise is dangerous.”
But not everyone is upset over the comments, Robertson family included. By early Thursday night, more than 70,000 people had signed a Change.org petition, calling for A&E to bring Robertson back.
And the network might want to listen. Duck Dynasty is the highest rated cable reality TV show ever and if Robertson doesn’t come back, well, neither will the family.
Will A&E stay firm in their stance against the anti-gay star? Or will the money talk?
SOURCE: CNN, Daily Mail | PHOTO CREDIT: GQ
