Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Phil Robertson fires another round as opening of Rio show nears

Phil Robertson

Carolyn Kaster / AP

Phil Robertson, from the television show “Duck Dynasty,” places his Bible and notes into his bag after speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Friday, Feb. 27, 2015.

For barbed political, cultural and theological debate, check out the Rio.

Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the family that is the focus of the “Duck Dynasty” reality-TV series on A&E and the in-development musical “Duck Commander Musical” at Rio’s Crown Theater, lit up the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Friday night.

It all made for great theater.

Robertson was on hand at the annual gathering of conservatives and Republican Party leaders to receive the Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award from Citizens United. In his address, he blamed hippies (and their predecessors, the beatniks) for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. From a camouflaged pouch, he produced an aged family Bible, held together by duct tape, and spoke with impressive modulation for about 30 minutes.

"I don't want you to die early! If you're disease-free and she's disease-free and you're married. You keep your sex right there. You won't get sick from a sexually transmitted disease. Come on!" Robertson intoned from the stage. "It's the revenge of the hippies! Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll have come back to haunt us in a bad way.”

Robertson cited a 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that found 110 million men and women currently have sexually transmitted infections. In making his point, he introduced a quote from the second president of the United States.

"You lose your religion, according to John Adams, and there goes your morality. We're almost there," Robertson said. "I hate to admit I got my facts from the CDC the day before yesterday, 110 million, 110 million Americans now have a sexually transmitted illness.”

Without mentioning that condoms are a proven method of preventing STDs, Robertson added: “You want a godly, biblical, medically safe option? One man, one woman, married for life. … And if you hate me because I told you that, I told you my love for you is not contingent on how you feel about me. I love you anyway. I don't want to see you die early or get sick. I'm trying to help you, for crying out loud. America, if I didn't care about you, why would I bring this up?"

Robertson branched out from that subject, calling for the abolition of the Internal Revenue Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Education. He criticized elected officials for not telling the American people “I love you” and said, “Unless we get spiritual men in The White House to turn (America) around, we’re going to lose it.”

Robertson closed the oratory with, “God help us.”

Officials with Caesars Entertainment, which owns the Rio, and “Duck Commander Musical” producers Dodgers Theatrical have yet to comment on Robertson’s comments at the CPAC convention, which were greeted with thunderous applause in the hall but are certain to rankle a healthy segment of the show’s potential ticket-buying public.

Based on a book written by Phil’s son Willie and Willie’s wife, Korie, “Duck Commander Musical” makes its world premiere April 15 at Crown Theater. Of course, Phil Robertson is not the only pop-culture newsmaker willing to express his religious opinions who happens to be involved in a show at the Rio. As an unabashed atheist, Penn Jillette has for years extolled his views on the matter, has written two books on the topic (“Every Day Is an Atheist’s Holiday” and “God, No” and even fronts a music act by the name of The No God Band.

But unlike “Duck Commander Musical,” Penn & Teller’s stage show is not an autobiographical adaptation of the duo’s career. It is a widely acclaimed and top-selling magic-and-comedy production. Longtime P&T rep Glenn Alai said the comedy team would have no comment on any incoming show at the hotel.

At its core, “Duck Commander Musical” is a based-on-fact tale of the Robertsons’ rise to prominence through the development of the Duck Commander birdcall, a creation of Phil Robertson. His passion for that invention, and for hunting, led him to leave the Louisiana Tech University football team, where he was the squad’s starting quarterback. He was replaced by an upstart named Terry Bradshaw.

Of course, this is not the first time Robertson’s opinions have drawn national attention. He was suspended briefly from “Duck Dynasty” in December 2013 after making anti-gay comments in a story that appeared in Esquire magazine. Since that controversy hit the show, ratings have dropped significantly, from more than 12 million in January 2014 to a little more than 8 million for the season premiere this January.

Willie Robertson, who attended the CPAC convention and was in the audience for his father’s oratory, says he is unconcerned about the dip in ratings as the stage show takes shape. And he says Phil Robertson has not been assigned to talk on behalf of the show or the family

“He’s not a family spokesman,” Willie Robertson said in an interview in January. “He’s not a family spokesman. You know, Phil says what he says; he’s bold in how he says it. He’s authentic and he’s true to himself. That’s the way he is.”

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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