TV network A&E has ducked away from the indefinite suspension of Phil Robertson from its flagship show ‘Duck Dynasty.’
The network issued a statement late Friday backing away from its previously announced suspension of Phil Robertson, the patriarch behind the successful Louisiana-based Duck Commander duck-calling business.
The suspension was spurred by Robertson’s interview with GQ, published last week, in which he made statements some contributed to be anti-gay and homophobic. Robertson contends that the statement he made supporting the traditional definition of marriage is in-line with his Biblical beliefs.
Robertson’s comments split the nation in half as network analist walked the tight rope to denounce his statements, while Christians on social media made sure their voice was heard. A Facebook fan page called Stand with Phil Robertson received 1 million likes in 24 hours. Similar pages on twitter received thousands of followers in a matter of hours.
Duck Dynasty fans even organized a boycott of the network, and Robertson’s family released a statement saying it would not be willing to keep filming the series without him.
In their original statement, the network cited its “core values” of “inclusion and mutual respect” to explain why “we reacted so quickly and strongly.” “While Phil’s comments made in the interview reflect his personal views based on his own beliefs, and his own personal journey, he and his family have publicly stated they regret the ‘coarse language’ he used and the misinterpretation of his core beliefs based only on the article. He also made it clear he would ‘never incite or encourage hate.’
The statement made by A&E today stated, “Duck Dynasty is not a show about one man’s views. It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family… a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness,” the statement said. “After discussions with the Robertson family, as well as consulting with numerous advocacy groups, A&E has decided to resume filming Duck Dynasty later this spring with the entire Robertson family.”
The majority of the networks like CNN and MSNBC debated the comments of Robertson as bigotry and insensitive, and out of the norm with America as a whole. Many Christians beg to differ. For example, poll numbers in support of gay marriage consistently show a 50/50 split in opinion, with the majority of Christians interpreting the bible’s biblical definition of marriage as God’s intention for humanity. With so many pubic figures loosing their jobs over this topic, it’s no longer a taboo subject to support the gay lifestyle, it’s becoming taboo to speak against it.
As we dive into the future of tolerance for all people, does tolerance mean acceptance? Does disagreeing with someone’s lifestyle mean you can’t still love them? So who is really judging who?
A&E has already completed 10-episode season will begin airing Jan. 15, with all of the Robertson’s featured. The new episodes, scheduled to be shot this spring, will air later next year. Duck is the No. 2 series on cable TV, behind The Walking Dead, and ranks among the top 30 of all TV shows with an average of 13
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