An interview with GQ has ended up rather sourly for Phil Robertson. The Duck Dynasty patriarch has been put on ice by A&E following an uproar over comments he made to the magazine; among them: a comparison between homosexuality and bestiality. GLAAD, in its heated response, called his statements "some of the vilest and most extreme statements uttered against LGBT people in a mainstream publication." So what did he say? Some lowlights:
- When asked what is sinful: "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."
- "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."
Here's A&E's statement:
- "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty. His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely."
Robertson garnered a couple of unexpected source of support, notes
Politico. Sarah Palin, who met the cast while on book tour earlier this month, posted this on
Facebook: "Free speech is an endangered species. Those ‘intolerants’ hatin’ and taking on the
Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us." She was joined by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who released a
statement reading, "I remember when TV networks believed in the First Amendment. It is a messed up situation when Miley Cyrus gets a laugh, and Phil Robertson gets suspended." A number of people are pointing out that Palin and Jindal don't seem to understand the First Amendment, including Philip Bump at
The Wire:
- "For the 22-millionth time, the First Amendment says you can say what you like. It does not say there will be no commercial repercussions for doing so, or that every comment must be 'tolerated' without response. If A&E didn't believe in the First Amendment, they would demand that GQ cease publication of the Robertson article. They would call for a law demanding that no one be allowed to disparage gay relationships."
Meanwhile, the
Hollywood Reporter notes that season four kicks off Jan. 15, and production is all but done, so it expects he'll feature in the season. Robertson yesterday issued a statement that offered no apology but notes that "I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me." (More
Duck Dynasty stories.)
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