A&E Network hit reality show "Duck Dynasty" suffered its lowest ratings during Season 5, including its finale on Wednesday, the first full season since patriarch's Phil Robertson's controversial comments on gays.
Despite a 28 percent drop in the key 18-49 demographic for its finale Wednesday compared to last season, "Duck Dynasty" was still overall the top show on cable in the demo and second highest rated show on all networks on Wednesday night behind ABC's "Modern Family,"
according to Deadline.com.
The "Duck Dynasty" finale Wednesday drew 6.0 million viewers overall and 3.2 million in the 18-49 category. In the Season 4 finale last Oct. 23, the show drew a 4.4 million in the 18-49 demographic.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
Robertson, the family patriarch and founder of a million-dollar duck call company, created controversy in
a December interview with GQ magazine, when he connected gays to sin, among other comments.
"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there," Robertson said in the interview when he was asked what actions are sinful. "Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. 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."
A&E responded to the comments by suspending Robertson, but he was quickly reinstated after a strong public outcry from fans and public officials like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, where the Robertsons live, and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
"Free speech is an endangered species," Palin wrote on her Facebook page about the suspension,
according to Fox News, days before Christmas. "Those 'intolerants' hatin' and taking on the 'Duck Dynasty' patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us."
Jindal called the Robertson family "great citizens" of the state in his support.
"The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with," said Jindal, according to Fox News. "I don’t agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV," Jindal said in a statement. "In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive."
The "Duck Dynasty" Christmas special on Dec. 11 attracted nine million viewers overall and 4.5 million among the 18-49 demographic, reported Deadline.com.
Editor's Note: ObamaCare Is Here. Are You Prepared?
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.