Will we see Duck Dynasty Season 5 cancelled because of the A&E boycott? Even if it does air, what happens to Duck Commander Phil Robertson?
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , the Duck Commander has unlikely defenders. You’d expect Sarah and Bristol Palin to support Phil’s stance on homosexuality but even a well-known gay professor is saying liberals are being “Stalinist” in their treatment of him .
After the announcement of the suspension of Phil by A&E, Duck Dynasty fans began petitioning the network as well as threatening a boycott . And then the family released a statement that hinted it’s possible we could see Duck Dynasty canceled :
“We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, 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.”
Duck Dynasty Season 5 is set to debut on January 15, which is just around the corner. They’ve already filmed all 10 of the episodes and Phil Robertson is indeed featured despite being suspended. So, if anything, only Duck Dynast y Season 6, assuming it isn’t cancelled, would be affected by A&E’s decision to suspend their star.
And A&E would be foolish to let the show be cancelled or to not negotiate with Phil. The Season 4 debut, which pulled in 11.8 million viewers in August, set a record for the cable channel. Just last week Duck Dynasty ratings were at 8.885 million viewers. So, while Phil’s family could threaten to leave and create a new show, A&E holds a trump card since the network owns the rights to the Duck Dynasty brand name and all the merchandise deals established on its name. But since the Duck Commander is a multi-millionaire with his own popular business any money-based threats probably won’t hold much sway with the Duck Dynasty star. Never mind, earlier this year Phil was talking about retiring anyway and focus on fishing and enjoying the latter days of his life .
But Duck Dynasty Season 5 is already be threatened in other ways by the A&E boycott. The number of viewers is in a free fall, dropping by 6.364 million viewers down to 8.885 million. This means the Duck Dynasty boycott has affected the A&E network by 71.6 percent, which is something they just can’t ignore. So even if Season 5 is still aired it’s possible A&E won’t be making much money this time around… and Phil Robertson’s family has already been paid their per-episode income (although, we’re not sure if they have performance-based bonuses). Worse, at least for A&E, the boycott organizers are reminding people to not buy Duck Dynasty merchandise and instead go directly to the Duck Commander website so A&E doesn’t benefit.
In any case, Phil isn’t that worried about what will happen to the reality TV show . According to the family pastor, instead of talking about the controversy he spent his praying for a woman suffering from cancer:
“Phil led us in prayer. There were greater things on our minds than the firestorm of controversy about this article. He’s very calm, and very confident that if he serves the Lord, God will take care of everything.”
Do you think Phil Robertson’s family should force A&E to have Duck Dynasty Season 5 cancelled and then start their own new show with another network?