Phil Robertson ''GQ'' interview controversy

Phil Robertson GQ interview controversy concerns the reactions and fallout from the comments made by the patriarch of the American Duck Dynasty reality show, Phil Robertson. The events cover several weeks from December 2013 to January 2014, and were covered by national and international media. According to Time television critic, "his remarks spawned a protest, a suspension, and a counter-protest over the suspension."

On December 18, 2013, A&E announced the indefinite suspension of Phil Robertson, the family patriarch, from the show over remarks he made in a GQ interview which were widely-reported in the media as "anti-gay". The suspension started a nationwide debate about tolerance and religion. Following public pressure on A&E to lift the suspension, he was reinstated nine days later.

Background
Duck Dynasty is an American reality television series on A&E that portrays the lives of the Robertson family, who became wealthy from their family-operated business, Duck Commander. The West Monroe, Louisiana business makes products for duck hunters, primarily a duck call called Duck Commander. The Robertson menbrothers Phil and Si, and Phil's sons Jase, Willie, and Jepare known for their long beards and their religious views. Robertson is known for being staunchly conservative, and the series is known for advancing family values. The family was previously featured on the series Benelli Presents Duck Commander and its spin-off Buck Commander, which still airs on the Outdoor Channel.

The show has broken several ratings records on both A&E and cable television as a whole. It is the most watched reality show of all time. The fourth season premiere in August 2013, drew 11.8 million viewers; the most-watched nonfiction cable series in history. The fifth season premiere January 15, 2014, had 8.5 million viewers, down 28% from the last season. However comparing the last two seasons is not fully fair as the summer debut did not have original broadcast competition.

The show had $80 million in advertising sales for the first nine months of 2013, and merchandise has generated another $400 million in revenue, about half of which is through Walmart.

Entertainment Weekly noted that unlike other reality show casts, the members of Duck Dynasty are millionaires so A&E is in a position of needing them more than the cast needing A&E. They could go to another network or not film at all.

Suspension
On December 18, 2013, GQ magazine published it's online version of a featured article in its January 2014 issue, titled "What the Duck?" featuring an interview Phil Robertson had with Drew Magary. During the interview, Magary asked Robertson: "What, in your mind, is sinful?" Robertson replied: ""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." Continuing rhetorically, Robertson questioned the appeal of same-sex relationships, particularly amongst men, saying: "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.”"

LBGT Advocacy Group GLAAD was quick to condemn the statement calling it a "stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families.”"

A&E representative's responded to the initial criticism by issuing a statement from Phil Roberstson saying that he is a "product of the 60s" but has since lived his life on Biblical principles. He added, "I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me."

Hours later A&E then released a statement that read: "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."

Initial response from the Robertson Family
The Robertson family also released a statement about A&E's decision, supporting Phil and saying that while some of his comments were "coarse", his beliefs are "grounded in the teachings of the Bible." and expressing disappointment that "Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right." The statement also said that the family was in talks with the network, as they could not imagine going forward "without [their] patriarch at the helm."

Media and public response
Robertson's remarks were widely reported by media outlets, with reactions split across various socioeconomic and geopolitical divides. He garnered much of his support from Duck Dynasty Fans, social conservatives, corporate sponsors, some religious groups, and Republican politicians including Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal and Mike Huckabee. Glenn Beck also offered Duck Dynasty to move to his network.News media noted a "flood of support" including over a million "likes" on a Facebook page calling for a boycott of A&E and 250,000 signers to an online petition demanding reinstatement along with 30 separate change.org petitions for his reinstatement. Walmart's website quickly sold out of Duck Dynasty products.

In concert, Robertson faced significant opposition from several news reporters,  LGBT advocacy groups including GLAAD, and other individuals characterizing his sentiments as anti-gay and bigoted. In response to Robertson's remarks, Southern restaurant chain Cracker Barrel removed select Duck Dynasty products that they thought might offend some of their guests. A day later they put them back due to public response, including boycott threats stating "Our intent was to avoid offending, but that’s just what we’ve done.".

Comments regarding racial segregation
Robertson also drew criticism for viewpoints he expressed that critics characterized as "minimizing the era" of racial segregation in the southern United States, calling his comments "insensitive". "I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field [...] They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people'—not a word! [...] Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."

In response, the Human Rights Campaign and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) wrote a joint letter to A&E calling Robertson's remarks dangerous and inaccurate. Jesse Jackson's human rights group, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, has "demanded meetings with A&E and with Cracker Barrel" over the issue, and, together with GLAAD and the National Organization for Women, urged A&E to keep Robertson on hiatus. Dan Savage opined that he felt that Robertson's comments about African-Americans under Jim Crow laws were "much more offensive", but because in American culture issues of sex are generally discussed more than issues of race, his comments about race would be discussed far less, in favor of issues about gay sexuality.

First public comments from Robertson
In the first public appearance since the GQ interview went viral, Robertson stood by his comments saying “I will not give or back off from my path,” adding that all he did was quote the Bible and saying “I didn’t think much of it at all, but it seems a lot of other people did,” the appearance was a bible study in which Phil spoke saying "I love all men and women. I am a lover of humanity, not a hater. … I have been immoral, drunk, high. I ran with the wicked people for 28 years and I have run with the Jesus people since and the contrast is astounding.”" and "Jesus will take sins away. If you're a homosexual, he'll take it away. If you're an adulterer, if you're a liar, what's the difference?"

Suspension reversed
On December 27, A&E released a statement reversing Robertson's suspension. The network cited Robertson's and the family's regret for the use of "coarse language" in regards to discussing body parts, and stated that A&E would launch a public service announcement across the channel's "entire portfolio" that would promote "tolerance and acceptance among all people." GLAAD condemned the decision, stating A&E has "chosen profits over African American and gay people." CNN noted that Duck Dynasty was too profitable for A&E to consider ending the show, but that the channel felt that they had to send a message of disapproval for the comments, which the suspension did. A Human Rights Campaign representative saw the reinstatement as a positive step and said they had been assured that "the Robertson family is now open [...] to address the real harm that such anti-gay and racist comments can cause." United Press International reported that A&E CEO Nancy Dubuc has received death threats for the decision to suspend Roberts indefinitely.

Cultural differences
CNN reported that the controversy showed that a culture war was at play, in part because of what GLAAD characterized as "offensive depictions of minorities" in public discourse. Republican Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and other conservatives noted the issue as a First Amendment right to free speech,  but "First Amendment applies only to federal laws, and not to private enterprise," and the Robertson family are independent contractors rather than employees of the network.

Jerry L. Fielding, a Republican member of the Alabama Senate, said he would propose a resolution in support of Robertson, and credited Christian conservatives for obtaining the reinstatement.

Time magazine's television critic noted the entire episode happened after the new 2014 season was already complete so the controversy won't be addressed by the show itself. They also stated that like the 2012 Chick-fil-A same-sex marriage controversy, following a series of public comments made in June 2012 by COO Dan Cathy opposing same-sex marriage, which followed reports that Chick-fil-A's charitable endeavor, the S. Truett Cathy-family-operated WinShape Foundation, had made millions in donations to political organizations which oppose LGBT rights, the controversy showed a cultural divide. And that people would make a statement consume products that were totems for their values.