phil robertson, if you read this whole article in "gq." told the writer, we're bible thumpers who just happened to end up on television. let me open up this discussion here to we have wilson cruz, the national spokesperson for glaad, and al molar. both of you, welcome. i'm glad to have both perspectives. al, i would love to begin with you. i presume you have read the articles and the comments that's phil made to "gq." do you agree that this is crude, this is hateful stuff? >> well, i think you have to divide the issue between what he said and exactly how he said it. i wouldn't have put it exactly how he put it. i wouldn't have been so anatomical. but in terms of his affirmation of the historic christian understanding of sin and homosexuality, he was answering a question he was asked and did so in a way in terms of its substance was unquestionably faithful to the scripture and faithful to what christians around the world believe right now and what virtually all krishzs throughout the history of the christian church have believed until this

i have doubt that they would support phil in the way that he said this to gq. i've been around some of those guys a couple of times. >> should he be fired? >> let me finish this. i've never heard them ever say anything remotely close to this. and so i think it very well might cost him his job. i personally wouldn't keep him on after the way he said this if i was in charge of that tv show. no, i wouldn't. >> all right, mark? >> he should be fired, yeah. >> he should be fired. wilson. >> if they want to keep their sponsors and their viewers, he should be fired. >> even with the right to free speech in this country, you don't think the marketplace should decide? >> the marketplace is deciding. >> with the freedom of speech comes consequences. you're allowed to say what you want. but we are allowed to stand up against hate speech when it is spoken. if a person made a racist comment, we have the right to actually say something and make sure that they're not allowed to say that on a platform like "duck dynasty". >> here's what he said about african-americans. he said

he was suspended by a & e for his comments in "gq" magazine seen as both anti-gay and racist.has a right to express his beliefs. and there is new controversy tonight. this time, on videotape. here is abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: they have been the goose that laid the a & e golden egg, the quirky and hairy american family millions watch, for love or for laughs. >> are you sure you know what you are doing? >> now that is how you carve a pumpkin. >> reporter: tonight they're at the white hot center of a scorching national argument that threatens to bring down "duck dynasty." tonight dousing new fuel on the fire, this video of the patriarch phil robertson apparently railing against gays in his speech from 2010. >> boy is there some immorality going on around here, gross sexual immorality. >> a fire and brimstone sermon delivered a year before robertson's family of duck hunters, presided over the most watched unscripted cable show. in history. >> women with women, men with men, they have committed indecent acts with one another. >> reporter: this is just the latest twist in a co

a&e let him go to gq? how dumb was that? >> therein lies part of the problem.should have and a lot of media people would. i'm all for the constitution. james madison maid sure we have a right to say what we want. >> that doesn't guarantee you the right to a show. >> but hear me out. i'm a free market capitalist. a&e can make the decisions. what a&e has done is said we are going to make a decision to say we are catering to the gay community. we are going to suspend phil. they are free to make that decision. i don't have a problem with them doing it. but a viewer can also have the free will to not watch the network anymore. >> i love the show. >> forget the show. how about the rest of the shows on the network? this could cost them. their business decision to pull off phil for a period of time will probably cost them in their advertising revenues because advertisers pay based on the amount of viewership. >> i watch "storage wars," "duck dynasty" and the new show, "rodeo girls." >> not "swamp people"? >> i haven't watched it. no phil, i'm not watching "duck dynasty

nobody said we should ban "gq" magazine, cancel your subscription to gq. christian and do believe in the bible and people don't like that because it talks about right and wrong and people don't like that. >> mark, final word. >> no, people have different ways of interpreting the bible. there are plenty of christians who don't agree with what he said and don't think it reflects christian values and ethics. this is not attacking christianity. if people thought it was attacked, they had every right to say we don't want to buy "gq". >> the people that watch "duck dynasty" aren't buying gq. a & e believes in forgiveness. this was never about morals and conscious. it was about money. it was a press release and free advertisement for the show. what does it mean to suspend a show for nine days. they never stop taping or advertising. no one lost a dollar or a day of work. this was nothing about trying to make people feel good who are protesting, winking to the people who are going to continue to watch the show who don't give a darn about homo phobia in the country.

. >> and "gq" magazine with christie. >> we are a family, so we're going to deal with this as a family>>> caution, you are about to enter the no-spin zone. "the factor" begins right now. >>> hi. i'm bill o'reilly! thanks for watching us tonight. is the federal government hurting or helping working americans? that is the subject of this evening's talking points memo. even though there was good economic news today, which lou dobbs will analyze shortly, the key indicator of economic strength in america, wages, remains flat. this year, the average hourly wage in this country has increased by just 2%. many economists believe because there aae not enough jobs, workers have to take less pay. seems to make sense. president obama, though, he believes that the federal government can change that situation. however, in five years, his theory has not produced results. nevertheless, the president remains undaunted. >> we need to set aside the belief that government cannot do anything about reducing inequality. it's true that government cannot prevent all of the downsides of the technological change

. >> i don't think so and if you look at gq he named about 11 other sins you're leaving out includinged, lying, stealing in the same list. i think this is an issue of "gq" magazine choosing to highlight this to start a massive war over a guy that's not very articulate. he is incredible blunt -- >> hang on -- >> [ overlapping speakers ] >> wait, wait, wait. he is articulate because actually, tmz unearthed a sermon school of murder, their arrogant inventing ways of doing evil, 245 years after your forfathers founded the country. what are you going to do run with them, die? >> it's absolutely clear. it is absolutely disturbing and disgusting he's using christianity. >> mark, my biggest issue, if you actually read again what he said in "gq" he did not equate being gay with beastiality. >> let me read the statement -- wait a minute, let me read the statement so there can be absolute clarity. it seems to me a vagina as a man would be more desirable than a man's anus. start with homosexual behavior and morph out from there. forget what else he's condemning. he's condemning a homosexual behav

but "duck dynasty's" massive success the past few years may explain why the comments published in "gq was a letter from the human rights campaign and the naacp to a&e calling the remarks dangerous and revisionist. after lumping gays with terrorists, robertson said "let god sort them out later." a&e heard robertson and the critics placing him on indefinite hiatus, and perhaps pushing him to this apology. "i would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they're different from me. we are all created by the almighty and like him i love all of humanity. we would all be better off if we loved god and loved each other." you'd think the star's goose is cooked but not so fast. fans and his family are fighting back. late tonight his family released a statement saying, "we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. we are in discussions with a&e to see what this means for the future of "duck dynasty." an a&e rep says no comment. there are others out there saying, the duck stops here. on facebook someone created a fan page calling for the boycott of a&e until

ashleigh, in this gq article phil robertson appeared to be an equal opportunity offender.t is the height of duck hunting season in louisiana but he will not be on camera to show off his shot. the network pulled him from future shoots indefinitely saying they were, quote, extremely disappointed to have read phil robertson's comments in "gq." the patriarch of the hit reality tv show "duck dynasty" sounded off. >> my idea of heaven is killing thin things. >> reporter: but he turned the target on himself. on wednesday a&e suspended phil robertson founder of the duck commander company and head of his back woods louisiana family from filming indefinitely for the controversial antigay statements he made in an interview with "gq" magazine. in the article robertson says, quote, it's not logical, my man. it's just not logical. he goes on to explain what he finds sinful saying start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. beastiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and those men he says. robertson then refers to a bible passage from corinthians saying,

"gq" magazine has an interview about bradley coop who are opened up about his addiction with alcohols candid about how he talked about turning his life around and he said i think my work was getting beefed up he admitted. this is when his career was taking off, around "wedding crashers" occurring at the same time. he said the one thing i have learned in life is the best thing i can do is embrace who i am and do it to the fullest extent and whatever happens happens. he said he was doing a lot of movies suddenly sober and recalls another quote saying he rediscovered himself. but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza®. he said victoza® is different than pills. victoza® is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once-a-day, any time, and comes in a pen. and the needle is thin. victoza® is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. victoza® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and s

he's in gq. he's asked about homosexuality.says, seems to me a vagina, as a man would be more desirable than a man's anus. she has more to offer. i mean, come on, dudes. you know what i'm saying. sin, it's not logical. my man, it's just not logical. he gives a religious explanation about sin and a variety of things in the bible. is this a religious freedom of speech issue? >> i don't know. i really don't. i read his explanation. he does talk about sin. i guess he's a theologian in some ways. >> it appears to be an unfortunate clinical if not scat logical reference that maybe he wants to take back. >> no, no. >> as much as i like the show and i like them, i met them. i don't think that's the best explanation of sin that we could be having. >> he gave a variety of other sins. he talked about he doesn't judge people. >> sometimes people make mistakes. when they make mistakes they should say, will be, i shouldn't have said that. >> it's a mistake that he can't say his religious views. >> it's not a religious view if way he stated i

i think they forgot and got a little bit ahead of their skis in doing an interview with "gq." what conservative has ever done an interview with "gq" and it's turned out well. >> it's like "vanity fair." >> they should have just sent the q & a to phil robertson's people and said, can you send us your five best grooming tips. he wasn't even on the cover, it wasn't supposed to be about him. >> this outrage is based on robertson -- some of it was crude who knows, saying that gays are sinners. gays should not feel special over that. if you are friends with religious people, everybody's a sinner. everybody's a sinner. so i don't think you should be too insulted about being called a sinner. the other thing about this, it drives me nuts, is words do not wound. there's no linkage to robertson's beliefs to violent action. that's why i brought up radical islam in the beginning. they're -- they follow up their words with beheadings. all robertson did was state his religious belief. he didn't say i'm going to go out and cut off somebody's head. that's why this trend of bullying, about how

he also told, "gq," quote. >> you must be phil? >> i'm what's left of it. >> reporter: a&e suspended him after it came out. saying quote, his personal views do not support the network's who are champions of the lgbt community. the network placed robertson on hiatus and from filming indefinitely. robertson talked about his upbringing in the south before the civil rights era and told "gq," quote, i never with my eyes saw the mistreatment of any black person, not once he said and also said pre-entitlement, pre- welfare you say were they happy? they were godly. they were happy. no one was singing the blues. the naacp and human rights campaign wrote a letter to a&e expressing outrage but robertson has plenty of defenders. sarah palin after spending time with the robertson's called it a free speech issue on her facebook page and louisiana governor bobby jindal call the robertson family, quote, great citizens, a change.org petition has more than 19,000 signatures so far. >> women are like lab retrievers they have quarks. you stay married

because this good christian man spoke his mind to gq about the gays saying it seems like to mean a vaginaa man would be more desirable than a man's anus. that's just me, i'm just thinking, there's more there. but hey, it's not logical, my man, start with homosexual behavior and morph out from there, bestialit, now i'll admit, i will admit, i will admit it's not eloquent speech you might expect from a backwoods louisiana bird murderers, but he does have a point. the vagina does have more there i mean let's face t it's a train wreck, who knows what is going on with that business. fans rallied to him. with 55,000 signing a petition saying mr. robertson's comments in "gq" magazine are reflective of a biblical view of sexuality, marriage and family. yeah, it's right there in the bible. man shall not live by bread alone because with the vagina there's more there. (laughter) folks, folks, tonight -- -- (laughter) (cheers and applause) tojt tonight we are all phil robertson. phil has taught us so much like this little bit of eternal wisdom. >> if you catch squirrels for your wallet-- your woman w

this after phil robertson made anti-gay remarks in jan's "gq" magazine. the 67-year-old reality star called homosexuality a sin and compared it to bestiality and promise skewty. a&e suspended him wednesday saying in a statement, quote, we are extremely disappointed to have read phil's comments. his personal views in no way reflect those of a&e networks. "duck dynasty's" august premier was the top nonfiction series selly cast in cable history and also saying in "gq" we're bible thumb pers who ended up on television. >>> your retirement plan and stock portfolio looked greener on wednesday. stocks soared. two major indices reached record territory. the dow climbing nearly 300 points. it's all thanks to federal reserve chairman ben bernanke and what he revealed about the economy. finance leaders say the economy is improving enough to take it off of the fed's trillion dollar life support program. starting january, the fed will roll back its support by about 12% from current levels. now if you're looking to get a new home mortgage the next year could be key. th

a & e's is defending robertson over the gq interview.d us you made a mistake you weren't shy about it you wrote you called and took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings you told us we were wrong, we listened. duck dine story brings in more than 12 million viewers per episode. >> wild weather around the country. just as holiday travel get underway torrential rain in efrl states including kentucky where five people died there. in arkansas tornadoes damaging the homes dozens of them in fact while two people were killed during a severe wind storm in mississippi. ice storms in the north causing hundreds of thousands of power outages. across up state new york and michigan. then sheets of ice falling off of a roof in oklahoma. take a look. >> >> okay. if that is not crazy enough for you in the northeast it is spring in december. a lot of folks around here wearing shorts and t-shirts it has been 70 degrees out here. so what is next for the holiday? maria molina is tracking all of the wild weather for us. >> how are things lookin

what conservative has ever done an interview with gq and it turned out well? please show me is it n like vanity fair. no way. >> they should have said could you send us your five best grooming tips? we want to include it in our issue. he wasn't even on the coverment it wasn't supposed to be about him. >> this outrage is based on robertson's -- something that was crude, saying gays are sinners. gays should not feel special over that. if you are friends with religious people, everybody is a sinner. everybody is a sinner, so i don't think you should be too insulted about being called a sinner. the other thing about this and it drives me nuts is words do not wound. there is no linkage to robertson's beliefs to violent action. that's why i brought up radical islam in the beginning. they prop up their words with beheadings. all robertson did was state his beliefs but didn't say i'm going to cut off somebody's head. that's why this trend of bullying about how words hurt is so dangerous because it will limit debate. >> let me just try to do one thing, correct a little

jon: the patriarch of "duck dynasty" is at the center of comments he made to "gq" magazine.. across america people are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes with non-insulin victoza®. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar, but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza®. he said victoza® is different than pills. victoza® is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once-a-day, any time, and comes in a pen. and the needle is thin. victoza® is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. victoza® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adultth type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. victoza® has not been studied with mealtime insulin. victoza® is not insulin. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its

seemed to blow it for real this week when he preached to gq about what is sinful telling the magazine this woman and that woman. the patriarch didn't stop there, robertston who grew up in louisiana, tells gq, the african-americans he knew then were happy. i never with my eyes saw the mistreatment of any black person. preentitlement, prewelfare. you may were they happy? they were godly. they were happy. no one was singing the blues. in the two days since those word were publish aid cascade of recriminations have ricochetted. one possible casualty is a & e's crown jewel, duck dynasty itself. the family tonight threatening to call it quits. this is the patriarch of the most watched unscripted cable television show in history who preside over a $500 million empire, the bush-bearded sons of duck dynasty among the most highly recognized americans anywhere presenting at country music award, rubbing shoulders with the nation's top politicians at the white house correspondents dinner. they have their own christmas cd out this year. >> christmas cookies are a treat. >> duck the halls anyone a?

bill robertson has been suspended indefinitely from the show after making comments in january's gq magazine. the 67-year-old called homosexuality a sin and compared it to bestiality and promiscuity. he went on to talk about his religion saying, quote, we're bible thumpers who just happen to ob television. he'll have to take a break from the television part as a and e said we are extremely disappointed to have his comments and they in no way reflect the net work's. duck dynasty was the number one nonfiction telecast in cable history. >>> turning to news on your money. stocks soared wednesday with two of the major averages reaching record territory. in one day the dow jones climbed nearly 300 points. it's all thanked to ben bernanke and what he is revealing about the strength of the economy. leaders now say the economy is improving enough to begin to take it off virtual life support. the fed will start rolling back part of its multibillion-dollar stimulus program. but the near record low interest rates will remain low for at least another year which is good news for those looking to buy a hom

but we know that when homophobic attitudes like were expressed in "gq" and racist attitude, we have toember, infect our society. when bigotry is infecting our society, it goes down to vulnerable people in our see sit society, including lgbt teenagers who are vulnerable to bullying and suicide when they don't have acceptance, they can't find any safe quarter in our society. >> russell, let me ask you a question. it wasn't just that be shared what his religion teaches about sin ithe bible. he definitely put the gay lifestyle on, in his words, on a slippery slope to beastiality in the interview. can you see how a gay couple would find that demeaning to compare the two? >> look, the robertson family aren't diplomats. they are reality tv show stars who are paid to say outrageous things on television and to entertain people with their comments. i think his comments were crude at many points, i don't agree with the way he worded many things, but i think his central point was that there's an entire spectrum of immorality and the bible defines what sexual morality is. now, most of us wouldn't s

phil robertson is on indefinite hiatus thanks to comments made to gq magazine. now the family is weighing in about the future of the tv fam have had a successful working relationship with a & e. as a family we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. we are in discussions with a & e to see what that means for the future of "duck dynasty." robertson was quote ed calling homosexuality sinful. gay rights advocates are outraged. there were more comments but robson and the show have plen the ti of defenders. we begin with jeremy hooper. special projects consultant for g.l.a.d. they have publically addressed the controversy. we'll have tony perkins on in a minute. >> great to be here. >> i will ask tony perkins the same question. why can't those who believe -- i will ask the other way. why can want those who think homosexuality is a sin say so. >> they cannot do so in a sack yoom. this is not an issue of free speech. defenders of phil robertson want free dom from consequence. if i were to say shg to you completely outlandish g.l.a.d. wo

robertson, the one with the beard, has been suspended indefinitely after making anti-gay remarks in a gq interview. robertson was asked his definition of sinful behavior and he responded, quote, start with sexual behavior and morph out from there. such is bestiality which is not simple of the finally the truth. the mallard may have disparaged gays. adding, quote, they won't inherit the kingdom of god. don't deceive yourself. it is not right. and then it got bad. he said in his louisiana youth, he picked cotton with blacks and never saw, quote, the mistreatment of any black person. not once could he be telling the truth here. we are not going across the field. they are singing and happy. i never heard one of them, one black person say these dog gone white people. not a word. what do ducks think about all of this? we asked one. >> the ducks are having a party. >> and he might live a little longer is if he is on a high yea toc. >> it is your favorite show. you catch every episode? >> you think it is funny and i will you duck dynasty. he is the only one that can get me out and going. >> what

we'll begin with breaking news, the star of "duck dynasty" fill robertson is suspended from "gq magazine," he said disturbing things about the civil rights movement. joining me now is wilson cruise and don lemon, host of "11th hour." welcome to both of you. wilson cruise, what do you make of what happened here? if you read the interview, it's one long homophobic rant. >> yeah, you know, what is upsetting really is that he would go on to try to represent the views of all christian people, when in fact, we know for a fact that more and more christians support the lgbt family members and he does not reflect the true christians out there. no one would go about who calls themselves a christian and compare lgbt people to slanderers or homosexuality to anything. that's not who we are. >> don lemon, let me recap -- don, let me read more disturbing comments. it seems to me a vagina, he says, as a man would be more desirable than a man's anus. start with homosexuality there and sleeping around with this woman and that woman and this man and talking about the civil rights movement, i never heard on

there is controversy here, but gq says that is also why 14 million americans tuned into duck dynastyevery week last season. in the article the 67-year-old condemned gays as sinners and quoted bible verses saying they were just like adulters and swindlers. gay groups were quick to criticize and asked the network to take action. the network placed him on hiatus. robertson responded saying in part, "i myself am a product of the '60s. i centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until i hit rock bottom and accepted jesus as my savior. my mission is to go forth and tell people why i follow christ. i would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. we would all be better off if we loved god and loved each other." >>> a seeing eye dog saves his owner's life, but their future together was up in the air until today. >> orlando went above and beyond the call of duty yesterday when 61-year-old cecil william lost consciousness in a new york city subway station and fell in front of an oncoming train. you know how dogs do. he just jumped out there after h

. >>> and a big sar frtar from du dynasty in big trouble for comments in gq. never good to loosely paraphrase the bible. trust me on this one. this is "way too early". >>> good morning. brian shactman here thursday, december 19. a few other interesting nuggets later in the show. which college football program is reportedly worth nearly $140 million? don't google it. stay tuned and find out. and justin bieber, can you actually retire before you can legally drink? but he's talking about retirement. whether it's a ploy or not, we'll have that story for you in the cooler. we want to begin with the ns after the. a task force recommending changes some of which the president says he is open to. there are 46 recommendations. the government would have to request access to metadata. phone and internet companies can go public when they're asked to hand over information. the white house has already rejected a recommendation to put the nsa under civilian control. the panel had other surprising conclusions saying that the disclosure of some confidential information can be,

robertson who grew up in louisiana tells gq blacks were better off before civil rights. i never saw the mistreatment of any black person. preentitlement and welfare, they were godly, they weren't happy and no one was singing the blues. the naacp and the gay rights organization called the remarks dangerous. >> it is completely unacceptable to equality home sexuality with bestiality or that being gay is a choice that one has. >> reporter: a and e listened placing robertson on high eight tus. sarah palin came to his defense. the governor of his home state is sounding off. >> the left is for overview point except those that disagree with them. >> reporter: others say robertson is being attacked for his religious beliefs. the family has a best selling christmas cd out. fans flock to them for it. >> everybody watches that. you dvr it, go to church, come home and watch it. >> reporter: today phil robertson saying we are all created by the almighty and i love all humanity. matt gutman, abc news, miami. >>> next here tonight we take you in search of a fascinating possibility. tho

here's what he told "gq" on the topic of sinful behavior.e, start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. bestiality sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that man. don't be deceives. neither the adulterers, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, they won't inherit the kingdom of god. don't deceive yourself. it's not right. this is what he said about pre-civilized blacks. quote, they're singing and happy. never heard one black person say i tell you what, these dog gone 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. the far right has rallied around robertson. decrying everything and everyone in their path. that includes, a&e suspended him the same day it was published. the gay rights groups that criticized his remarks in the media are taking the hit. here's what louisiana governor republican bobby jindal said just yesterday. >> to me this is an issue about religious liberty, freedom

when did he say jim crow. >> he said it in the gq article.the text of the article. >> richard, here is the thing. you cannot put words in their mouth or quote them. we talk about the culture battle, war. this seems like a war they need to be involved in. this is something the party won. >> it's not just conservatives. it's people who realize that outrage for outrage's sake is ridiculous. it's amazing to me that you can cite scripture and people are up in arms over it. i hope christians get the message that they outnumber the squeaky wheels who aren't for equality. they want to supress speech that doesn't include complete and total acceptance and submission. i hope christians realize you can win when you stick on principle. >> you can make up quotes like richard did. >> i'm a christian and i find -- >> do not bear false witness, richard. >> wait a minute. if you listen to the tax collectors, prostitutes, jesus is a jesus of love, not of anger. the language phil used was hateful, angry language. that can't be tolerated. >> what language? >> rem

it's before phil robertson gave his opinion on homosexuality to gq magazine.what he said that put the show in jeopardy. ♪ >> reporter: with their a & e show pulling 14 million viewers a week with an empire of dvds, duck calls and a christmas album, it's no surprise gq magazine wanted to profile the crew at home in louisiana. >> phil. >> he's happy. >> reporter: the patriarch of the family is raising eyebrows with his comments. it seems like to me a vagina would be more -- it's not right. >> a & e needs to condemn his statements. >> wilson cruise and other gay rights advocates are striking back hard. suggesting he's ignorant, big gotted or both. >> the world is changing, the country is changing and the state where he lives is changing. he needs to get in line. >> makes you wonder how we got roped into this. >> i don't know. >> reporter: others say hold on. he was quoting church positions on sin, not just homosexuality. he told gq, the adulterers, the male prostitutes, the greedy, swindlers, they won't inherit the kingdom of god. >> i think that suggesting that

standing by their patriarch who has been suspended from the hit show over comments that he made to "gq" magazine. they are threatening to stop filming with a&e without him. bigad shaban reports. >> reporter: phil robertson is known to speak his mind on the hit a&e reality series duck dynasty. >> kids in america today are fat. >> reporter: but the network camcorder him off the show indefinitely over comments he made in an interview with "gq" magazine. robertson was asked, what in your mind is sinful? his answer, start with homosexual behavior and just mor ph from there, beesity, sleeping around. neither the adulterers, homosexual offenders won't inherit the kingdom of god. don't deceive yourself. it's not right. he also compared them to swindlers and terrorists. a&e announced his hiatus. >> any statements saying they were putting phil robertson taking him off duck dynasty because they found his comments to be outrageous offensive and not in keeping with the a&e brand. >> reporter: supporters rushed to his defense. sarah palin tweeted, free speech is an endangered species. and bobby jind

yeah, i think we have to separate what phil robertson said to "gq" from the show itself, because lots of people can enjoy watching "duck dynasty," which is a lighthearted, family comedy, and not agree with what he said to "gq." i think what we'll find out next year when the ratings come in is whether viewers hold the show accountable for what phil robertson says or not. >> and glaad reacted saying, "if dialogue with phil isn't part of next steps, then a&e has chosen profits over african-american and gay people, especially its employees and viewers." >>> all right, your phone and internet records are still fair game for the national security agency. a federal judge says the nsa's spying program that includes those records is constitutional, and a critical weapon in the fight against terrorism. the program is part of the patriot act. just last week, another federal judge ruled the program was likely unconstitutional. >>> the u.s. state department says it's still trying to piece together details in libya after four americans were detained and then released late last night. the four milit

executives are so phony, they now have scanneddized by "duck dynasty" phil robertson's comments to a gq reporter. really? a&e is suddenly just now scanneddized and so horrified that it is ditching the first amendment? well, a&e is so lame, a&e has known about this for years because robertson has been saying those same things for years. you can even get on youtube on a&e computers just like on your laptop at home. they knew about it a&e new all about robertson. now that a&e is getting heat for what robertson has been saying for years, a&e is running for the hills rather than standing up for the first amendment. a&e is cowering and trying to pull a fast one on all of us. pretending that they just learned about robertson's views and they find his views so appalling him that they are suspending him. that is a fantasy. now here is the truth. "duck dynasty" gets big ratings and a&e likes the big cash that comes with big ratings so they never cared what robertson said as long as he kept high ratings. you know that and, of course, a&e knows that a&e executives must think we are all stupid with

he was suspended earlier this month for remarks to gq about sin. likening homosexuality to bestiality. but the robertson family threatened to leave the show rather than continue without phil. tonight, it appears a & e blinked. ron claiborne, abc news, new york. >> thank you, ron. still much more ahead on world news this friday night. those new year's resolutions are here. would you go this far? the new and controversial diet procedure our cameras right there in the room. you'll see what happens coming up. later tonight, what was that streaking through the sky in the heartland? the answer, as world news continues in just two minutes here. mine was earned orbiting the moon in 1971. afghanistan in 2009. on the u.s.s. saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa.

all the kerfuffle down but an interesting pushback on this. >> also some interesting remarks in the gqed yes thinks african americans were happy prior to the civil rights movement saying i never heard one black person say, i tell you what. those dog gone white people, not a word. preentitlement, were they happy? they were godly. they were happy. no one was singing the blues. that's not quite a longing for the jim crow era but it is certainly a comment that i think a lot of african americans would dispute. >> i understand why many people would find this offensive. i think with that particular statement you have to read the whole statement. he begins by saying basically, when i grew up, where i grew up. and having many members of my family from the south, there are many, many places in the south where everyone, white and black, lived in tremendous poverty. and had a very difficult time. and there was very much a sense that people said, hey, we're all suffering together. some may suffer more but we're all suffering together and he specified, in my place in my time this is what i saw. and

on the show, they're also saying we still don't agree with his personal point of view. >> given the "gq" magazine interview happened quite a while ago and it wasn't until the magazine hit the stands there was actually any action taken by a&e, could one be forgiven for being cynical for the poise to begin with? >> they stated inequivocally they do not in any way promote or endorse his view as stated in "gq" article. however, when you look at the teeth of their so-called suspension, there really wasn't much to it. while they suspended him, they weren't shooting anything at the time. they were on a break and had several episodes in the can for the series that doesn't start until january. in a lot of ways the suspension was symbolic because in practical terms it really had no impact on the actual production of the show. >> what do you think will then happen when they come back -- back -- a&e continued with the duck dynasty marathon during the holidays. do you think this whole controversy will actually end up increasing their ratings going forward? >> i think it raised a lot of awareness. if

when he told gq, the adulterers, the eye dollteres, the male prostitutes the homosexual offenders. >> suggesting people who hold to what every branch of the christian faith has held to for 2,000 years are somehow bigoted or hateful is not productive for speech. >> whether this battle on the bayou will harm the duck dynasty dynasty is not clear. for many fans, the appeal has long been that the robinsons speak openly about their conservative values. >> theo, be nicer. >> and there is this. polls show about 44% of all americans like phil robertson, still think homosexuality are morally wrong. we got a statement through a sxmpb e. he said i would never treat anyone with disrespect just bauft they're different from me. we are all created by the almighty and like him, i love all of human annal. i'm sure that won't quiet all the kerfuffle down but an interesting pushback on this. >> also some interesting remarks in the gq story. he explained yes thinks african americans were happy prior to the civil rights movement saying i never heard one black person say, i tell you what. those dog gone wh