|
 The controversy put A&E, part-owned by Walt Disney Co, in the
awkward position of coming up with a palatable response possibly
to the detriment of its most popular show, which is scheduled to
begin its fifth season on Jan. 15.
Robertson, the patriarch of the backwater Louisiana clan on the
reality show about hunting, fishing and domestic squabbles, was
put on indefinite "hiatus" by A&E for his remarks to GQ magazine
characterizing homosexuality as sinful behavior.
"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph from there,"
Robertson, 67, said when asked what is sinful. "Bestiality,
sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman
and those men."
A&E, a joint cable network venture of privately held Hearst Corp
and Disney, said it was disappointed after reading Robertson's
remarks, which it added were his personal views and did not
reflect those of the network.
"The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming
indefinitely," it said in a statement.
A&E was not immediately available to comment beyond the
statement.
The Robertson family posted a statement on their Duck Commander
website Thursday night saying "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'."
"Duck Dynasty," one of cable TV's top non-sports programs that
has turned its bearded stars into celebrities, has spawned
hundreds of merchandise items sold at retailers such as Target
and Wal-Mart, from sporting goods and apparel to camouflage
reclining furniture.
Its themed merchandise has brought in some $400 million in
sales, according to Forbes magazine.
That figure, along with the show's top-dog status at A&E, shows
that the network believes Robertson's comments were more serious
than the financial hit it might take, said Craig Detweiler, a
professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, who
specializes in media and religion.
"It's fascinating to see A&E in a sense pulling a plug on their
most profitable franchise," he said. "You see them choosing
politics over economics."
CONSERVATIVES PUSH BACK
Reaction to Robertson's comments was swift from across the
political spectrum with gay rights group GLAAD condemning the
remarks while conservative politicians defended Robertson.
Former U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin
and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, both leapt to the star's
side, saying he was a victim of political correctness.
[to top of second column] |
 "Free speech is an endangered species: Those 'intolerants'
hatin' & taking on Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing personal
opinion take on us all," tweeted Palin.
Jindal, also a Republican and possible 2016 U.S. presidential
candidate, criticized A&E's reaction and described Robertson and
his family, who turned their animal-call company Duck Commander
into a hunting industry leader, as "great citizens of the State
of Louisiana."
"The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints,
except those they disagree with," Jindal said in a statement.
"You can see your politics whether you see this as an issue of
hate speech or free speech," Detweiler said. "What you see is
conservatives pushing back on social pluralism."
Petitions started at Change.org and by Christian consumer group
Faith Driven Consumer have each received more than 50,000 signatures
demanding Robertson return to the show.
The Robertson family admitted that "Phil's unfiltered comments to
the reporter were coarse," but they are grounded in the teachings of
the Bible. They called the hiatus "for expressing his faith" a
disappointment.
Nevertheless, the series' future could be in doubt unless Robertson
recants, said Mark Pasetsky, a celebrity branding expert and former
editor of OK! magazine.
"It would be really difficult for any corporation to back this show
on an on-going basis," Pasetsky said. "He has to apologize
specifically for what he said."
"A LITTLE TOO MUCH REALITY"
It is also not the first time Robertson and the network have clashed
over religion. In April, Robertson said he had confronted producers
about editing out the word "Jesus" from some of the prayers recited
on the show.
A&E's quick move to suspend Robertson indefinitely stands in
contrast to cable channels The Food Network and MSNBC, which both
waited days before parting with Southern food doyenne Paula Deen and
actor Alec Baldwin, respectively, after they both admitted to using
slurs.
It was unclear how "Duck Dynasty" would proceed without its
patriarch. It drew 11.8 million viewers in August for the debut of
its fourth season, a record for a cable nonfiction series, according
to A&E.
(Editing by Mary Milliken and Eric
Walsh)
[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
