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‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Phil Robertson Opens Up About His Past A&E Suspension

Nearly nine years after his former network A&E suspended him from the hit series Duck Dynasty for nine days, Phil Robertson is opening up about the situation. 

According to Fox News, the Duck Dynasty star was suspended by A&E after he made controversial comments during a GQ interview. Robertson’s fans notably rallied in his defense and after nine days, the network reinstated him. The former reality TV actor reflected the backlash he and his family received in his new book called Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation. The book explores “today’s cancel culture” that can be faced with “one’s Christian faith.”

Speaking about the situation, the Duck Dynasty leading man explained, “The ones who attacked me, I didn’t hold it against them. They asked me a question about a particular sin. Homosexual behavior. And they asked if I believed it was a sin. I thought to myself, that’s a weird question to ask someone. But I just quoted a Bible verse. I quoted what God had to say about that sin and nine other sins. But it was in the list of sins.”

Robertson then recalled how he and his family were in mid-production of Duck Dynasty when A&E decided to “drop the ax” on him. He claimed that the network took action without first looking into what happened during the interview.

What Exactly Did ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Phil Robertson Say During His GQ Interview?

During the interview with GQ, the Duck Dynasty star was asked what, in his mind, is sinful. Robertson answered, “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.”

Robertson further proclaimed, “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers – they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

Following the news that A&E had suspended Robertson from the set of Duck Dynasty, Fox News reports that gay rights organizations supported the network’s response. However, the media outlet states that conservative fans argue their views were often overlooked by Hollywood and the media. Over half a million people liked a Facebook page that demanded the show be boycotted until Robertson was reinstated. 

Robertson recalled that A&E put him what they called on an indefinite hiatus from Duck Dynasty. “I said, ‘I think I may be getting fired, right?’ Hiatus says you’re not part of the program anymore. After nine days, they reinstated me. But we had all kinds of sponsors that just took off. They had made a mockery of what I said. All I did was quote a Bible verse. And as a result, they tried to cancel me. But it didn’t cancel me at all. I still love them. I don’t hate anymore.”

Duck Dynasty eventually came to an end in March 2017.