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Phil Robertson is opening up about facing cancel culture long before the term went mainstream.
It was 2013 when A&E suspended the "Duck Dynasty" patriarch for equating gay people with hell-bound sinners in a GQ interview. A firestorm resulted among his legions of defenders who felt the star was being censored by the network, which later reinstated him.
The 75-year-old is reflecting on the backlash he and his family endured in a new book out on Tuesday titled "Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation." It explores how today’s cancel culture can be faced with one’s Christian faith.
Phil Robertson has written a new book titled "Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation." (Thomas Nelson)
"The ones who attacked me, I didn’t hold it against them," Robertson told Fox News Digital. "They asked me a question about a particular sin, homosexual behavior. And they asked if I believed it was a sin. I thought to myself, that’s a weird question to ask someone, but I just quoted a Bible verse… I quoted what God had to say about that sin and nine other sins, but it was in the list of sins… As we were doing ‘Duck Dynasty,’ the upper crowd at A&E decided to drop the ax on me without first looking into what went down."
Phil Robertson said he found Christ at age 28. (Robertson Family)
According to the outlet, Robertson was asked, "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." The outlet shared he also paraphrased Corinthians from the Bible: "Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers – they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."
The suspension earned immediate praise from gay rights groups. Conservative fans argued that their viewpoints were often overlooked by Hollywood and the media. More than a half-million people liked an impromptu Facebook page demanding the show be boycotted until Robertson returned.
Phil Robertson looked back at his 2013 controversy involving an interview he gave to GQ. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
"They put me on what they called an indefinite hiatus," Robertson explained. "I said, ‘I think I may be getting fired, right?’ Hiatus says you’re not part of the program anymore. After nine days they reinstated me, but we had all kinds of sponsors that just took off. They had made a mockery of what I said. All I did was quote a Bible verse. And as a result, they tried to cancel me. But it didn’t cancel me at all. I still love them. I don’t hate anyone."
"The Bible teaches us to love thy neighbor even with their mistakes," he shared.
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Robertson and his extended family were originally turned into TV and pop culture stars in 2012. "Duck Dynasty" set cable rating records for a non-fiction series.
Phil Robertson and his "boys." (Robertson Family)
After Robertson ruffled feathers, Season 5 of "Duck Dynasty" saw a significant audience fallout, The New York Times reported. The show officially came to an end in 2017 after 11 seasons.
Robertson said he has no regrets about doing the GQ interview.
"No regrets at all – none," he said. "I just went on. I never called A&E and said, ‘What are you doing?’ I never said a word when they came to visit me about 10 days after this all went down. I said, ‘Guys, did y’all ever hear from me with some kind of irate phone call? ‘Cause you were firing me?’ They said, ‘Mr. Robertson, you never said a word.’ … I quoted a Bible verse that dealt with homosexual behavior. I just quoted the Bible verse that God had written through Paul the Apostle by the power of the Holy Spirit… I didn’t dream it off the top of my head. It didn’t go any further than that."
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Despite controversy over family patriarch Phil Robertson’s comments equating gay people with hell-bound sinners, state officials lauded "Duck Dynasty" for its importance to tourism. (Robertson Family)
Robertson said faith has always been a constant presence in his life – both during the good times and bad.
"The Apostle Paul told Timothy that whoever lives a godly life in Christ will be persecuted," he said. "So we take persecution as a badge of honor. It doesn’t bother us at all. We just take it in and say, ‘I don’t hold anyone against it.’ Instead, we focus on telling others about Jesus and keep moving."
Robertson reflected on today’s cancel culture, noting that "it’s gone too far." He said it goes against the teachings of the Bible.
Phil Robertson (left) and his family. (Robertson Family)
"I hope that people would quit accusing each other," he said. "We’re all guilty of sin. We all make mistakes. Therefore, you have no excuse to pass judgment on someone else. That’s what people do. They find a mistake you made when you were 18 years old or something you said on the internet long ago. Then they go after you with a vengeance. You’re condemning yourself by passing judgment on others. Do you think you’ll escape God’s judgment? In a culture of accusations, shame and condemnation, I’m just trying to speak out about the word of God… Just forgive each other and move on for crying out loud."
"The last thing you want to do is bring up someone’s past, bring up their sins and condemn someone for it when you are a sinner," Robertson shared. "It’s better to forgive someone quickly. God forgave all of us. I went around doing evil things until I discovered Jesus… I was 28 at the time, and I’ve been following Jesus ever since… The people that fuel cancel culture just want to find your mistakes and elevate them. It’s more worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God… I think God gave us a great deal, and it’s free of charge. People can say all they want about me."
Robertson’s son, Willie Robertson, is the CEO of Duck Commander, the family's multimillion-dollar duck call and decoy enterprise that inspired the A&E show. And despite the past backlash, state officials lauded the show for its importance to tourism, shining a light on their small north Louisiana town.
Early Duck Commander Labor Force. (Robertson Family)
Robertson and his wife Kay still reside in West Monroe, Louisiana. He has five children, 18 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. These days, he’s keeping busy with a series titled "In the Woods with Phil" on BlazeTV.com.
"We keep moving," he said. "I just hope people come to their senses. I’m a voice crying out in the wilderness, but I was put here because God saved me. What you’re seeing on planet Earth is spiritual warfare… The grace of God, it’s a free gift. So boy, if you’re on the wrong side of this thing, you really ought to rethink it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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