Phil Robertson Of ‘Duck Dynasty’ Defended By Son Willie For Anti-Gay Remarks [Video]
Phil Robertson, co-star of the popular A&E reality series Duck Dynasty, created quite a backlash due to his inflammatory comments regarding homosexuality. However, just as the firestorm was seemingly subsiding, Robertson’s son Willie decided to address the subject yet again.
In a recent interview with CNN, Willie Robertson and his wife Korie discussed the GQ interview that started the controversy. If you recall, the elder Robertson made some rather dubious remarks in the interview, drawing parallels between an alternative lifestyle and bestiality, as well as questioning the merits of homosexual activity in general:
“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus,” Robertson previously explained. “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?”
Suffice to say, this ill-advised diatribe unleashed a public relations nightmare for the Robertson family, ultimately leading to a brief A&E imposed suspension. However, Robertson was quickly reinstated, and while he was chastised harshly in the media, many pundits, including conservative luminaries such as Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter, defended the Duck Dynasty patriarch publicly.
During the CNN interview, Willie Robertson attempted to clarify his father’s remarks and put them into some sort of context:
“Phil just said what he thought, what was on his heart. He did some paraphrasing there.”
Willie then proceeded to elaborate further on his literal interpretation of the Bible, something Phil had attempted in the GQ interview when he quoted Corinthians in reference to being deceived by sin:
“I believe what the Bible says,” Robertson explained. “That’s what he says to put those in. Now, you have to read the Bible and make up your own mind. You have to decide and God will ultimately decide that. We don’t profess to be God and we certainly don’t profess to be perfect at all because we have our own sins that we deal with.”
Korie Robertson also defended Phil, suggesting the perception of the elder Robertson is different than the reality:
“Anybody who knows him — any gay, straight, black, white — anybody who knows Phil knows that he is about love and his message is about God’s love, and God’s grace, and God’s forgiveness, ultimately.”
Ratings for the current season of Duck Dynasty have declined somewhat, but the show is still going relatively strong. It will be interesting to see if Willie Robertson’s public defense of his father will reignite the controversy one more.
