Following the suspension of Phil Robertson from A&E’s hit show Duck Dynasty, his family appears to be reevaluating their relationship with the cable channel.
In a statement released on their Duck Commander company website, the family said it “cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm” and is currently in discussions with A&E about what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty.”
In the wake of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson’s anti-gay remarks published in GQ magazine, the liberal media are predictably hunting for his hide.
What most people don’t know is that Robertson was a football star in college so talented that back in October, NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw told NBC Tonight Show host Jay Leno, “That guy with that beard kept me on the bench for two years” (video follows with transcript and commentary):
While many in the liberal media are cheering A&E's decision to suspend Phil Robertson from further filming of the network's Duck Dynasty reality show, MSNBC's Thomas Roberts suggested that the move by the network may not be "enough."
In a Facebook post, the openly gay MSNBC Live host posed to his fans the "big question" of the day (screen capture below page break):
Editor's Note: Dan Gainor, MRC's Vice President for Business and Culture addressed the recent suspension of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson in the following statement to Variety today:
TV networks might claim they support free speech, but the suspension of “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson shows that to be an utter lie. They only support free speech they agree with. Foul comments by MSNBC’s Martin Bashir take weeks to resolve, but utter your Christian beliefs in an inartful way and you are instantly suspended by A&E. This is just the latest example of media outlets bowing to the militant LGBT agenda that would remove all voices for traditional marriage from TV. [statement continues after page break]
The same networks that totally ignored MSNBC anchor Martin Bashir's vile attacks against Sarah Palin have highlighted the "outrageous," "offensive" comments made by Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson in an interview to GQ. The journalists on ABC's Good Morning America provided the most aggressive coverage, repeatedly wondering if the remarks "will sink the show."
The morning program offered almost no consideration of Robertson and the issue of free speech. Instead, PR expert Howard Bragman wondered if the TV star is "willing to go to a deeper level of understanding and see why his remarks offended so many people?" [See video below. MP3 audio here.] Entertainment anchor Lara Spencer fully agreed: "Really outrageous statements." Spencer wanted to know just how the A&E network could bring the reality star back and, at the same time, "let people know they acknowledge how outrageous and offensive these comments are?"
It took less than a day for A&E to indefinitely suspend Phil Robertson, star of its reality television show “Duck Dynasty,” for making anti-gay remarks in an interview with the men’s magazine GQ.
The suspension appears to be the culmination of long-running tensions between Robertson and A&E over his self-described “Bible-thumper” religious views.
In today’s television world, anything goes. We’ve seen shows about everything from sewage treatment, meat slaughtering, trash collection, and prostitution houses. Yet for all the unvarnished look at life that “reality” shows bring to viewers, there is one thing that is apparently too hot for television: praying to Jesus.
According to Phil Robertson, star of A&E’s mega-hit series “Duck Dynasty,” the producers of the cable program deliberately removed his and other family members’ references to Jesus in prayer.
In a video featuring Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, the TV star - in what appears to be a religious sermon - declares his pro-life stance on the issue of abortion. When discussing the ethics of, and that there's even a debate on, the issue, he asks, "What in the world happened to us?"
"Listen, from the time you started inside your mother's womb, Thomas Jefferson had it right, you have the God-given right to life for crying out loud. You're this long (pointing to his finger). You're a week old inside your mother. They suck you out of there when you're about like that (point to finger again). You wouldn't be here tonight!