‘Duck Dynasty’ star Willie Robertson recalls growing up with Phil Robertson, surprising origin of the show
‘Duck Dynasty’ star Willie Robertson shares his memories of growing up with father Phil Robertson, how he shared his faith with those around him, and why his wife Korie can take credit for the origin of their reality show.
"Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
On Friday's episode of "Unashamed with the Robertson Family" podcast, Phil's son Jase revealed the diagnosis.
"Phil's not doing well. I think I spoke on the 1,000th podcast, we were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems," Jase said.
Phil Robertson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. (Courtesy of Phil Robertson)
"It's like accelerated, and it's causing problems with his entire body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer's. So, if you put those things together, he's really not doing well. He's struggling," he continued.
Phil was a big part of the "Unashamed" podcast, but due to the decline in his health, he is literally "unable to sit down and have a conversation," Jase revealed. He also noted that these days, his dad can barely walk around without "crying out in pain."
"It's like accelerated, and it's causing problems with his entire body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer's. So, if you put those things together, he's really not doing well. He's struggling."
"He misses it. He misses the stories we tell," Jase said of the podcast.
The "Unashamed with the Robertson Family" included Phil, Jase, Phil's son, Alan, and Phil's nephew, Zach Dasher.
Jase noted that the team of doctors told him and his family that "there's no curing what" Phil has.
"We're trying to make him a little more comfortable," he noted.
In the podcast episode, Jase noted that the Robertson family is very appreciative of the prayers and support being sent Phil's way.
Phil starred on "Duck Dynasty" from 2012 to 2017. He also founded the Duck Commander Company.
Phil Robertson was temporarily suspended from "Duck Dynasty" in 2013. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
In 2013, 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.
In 2022, Phil released his book, "Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation." It explored how today’s cancel culture can be faced with one’s Christian faith.
Phil Robertson released his book, "Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation," in 2022. (Phil Robertson)
"The ones who attacked me, I didn’t hold it against them," Robertson told Fox News Digital at the time. "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 axe on me without first looking into what went down."
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.
"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."
Robertson founded the Duck Commander Company. (Getty Images)
"The Bible teaches us to love thy neighbor, even with their mistakes," he shared.
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.
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.
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Robertson said he has no regrets about doing the GQ interview.
Phil Robertson illnesses can't be cured, according to his son Jase. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
"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.
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"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," Phil said.
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
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