The Duck Dynasty family is currently at war with A&E. The network has unequivocally suspended Phil Robertson for his anti-gay statements and the Robertson Family has said if they don’t reinstate Phil then they all quit – and there’s no show without him.
They’ve even issued a statement saying, “As a family, 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.” They also reportedly added that they didn’t appreciate that A&E suspended Phil for expressing his beliefs, adding that it’s his ‘constitutionally protected right‘ to do so.
That may be true, but he’s also on a major TV show and while he’s spewing on about his hatred towards gays, he’s representing both the TV show and the network. His constitutionally protected rights don’t include working for A&E while he ruins their brand and damages their business. Even though it’s rumored that the network knew about the family being homophobic, they didn’t really have any choice but to suspend Phil when he went public with his remarks. Apparently, the Robertson family is now in ‘negotiations’ with A&E to see how to proceed
It’s really a lose-lose situation for A&E. If they take the family back with Phil, they’ll be branded homophobic and they’ll get a lot of boycotting and whatnot. If they refuse to take him back, they lose their highest rated show. The only way they’ll end up winning is if they somehow convince the Robertson family to come back without Phil, but based on their statement, it doesn’t look like that’s happening.
What do you guys think? Should A&E stick to their ground and refuse to take back Phil? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
