Phil Robertson Back On ‘Duck Dynasty,’ Family Says A&E Boycott Got ‘Out Of Hand’

With Phil Robertson back on A&E’s Duck Dynasty, the family is saying the A&E boycott got “out of hand.”

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, A&E had Phil Robertson reinstated yesterday under pressure from the A&E petition. As might be expected, GLAAD blasted this decision.

In the long run, A&E’s suspension of the Duck Commander really didn’t make a difference. Even when they were still sticking to their guns, A&E admitted Duck Dynasty Season 5 would still feature Phil and they continued to air episodes. Filming for Duck Dynasty Season 6 wasn’t even scheduled to occur until this spring and Phil was busy spending time with the family and avoiding Barbara Walters.

According to an unnamed source, the Duck Dynasty family felt A&E was trying to manipulate them:

“You have to ask yourself, why this interview happened and why it ever became public. Someone from A&E was there and was aware of the kind of answers Phil was giving. But despite that, they didn’t ever try to stop it or control it. Instead, they let it hit the headlines and then released a statement condemning it. It is our belief that they knew what was going to happen and then used the situation to exercise control over Phil.”

The Duck Dynasty family also released a statement exclusively to Fox News stating how they felt:

“[We’re] excited to keep making a quality TV show for our dedicated fans, who have showed us wonderful support. We will continue to represent our faith and values in the most positive way through ‘Duck Dynasty’ and our many projects that we are currently working on. The outpouring of support and prayer has encouraged and emboldened us greatly.”

But a new unnamed source claims Phil Robertson is actually slightly apologetic about the whole affair:

“The family is happy that they can put this behind them. It got a little out of hand. Phil has never been disrespectful to anyone and treats everyone with kindness. He made some comments off the cuff that he shouldn’t have made, and he knows that.”

Still, the family is “happy happy happy” to put the controversy behind them:

“The family knows his heart and knows that he wasn’t trying to be hurtful. They just want to finish celebrating the holidays and are looking forward to getting back to work.”

If anything, A&E had more to lose than Phil’s family, who were self-made millionaires before the reality TV show even began. The ratings for the show also dropped about 71 percent shortly after the A&E boycott started, so if anything the decision to cave in was completely financial and not ideological. The Duck Dynasty net worth is estimated to be around $500 million per year. Around $400 million of that is in products and the A&E boycott was advocating that fans only buy the Duck Commander products, which don’t benefit A&E at all.

Even with Phil Robertson back, do you think the Duck Dynasty family should leave A&E and find a network that fits better with their Christian beliefs?