“Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
In Friday’s episode of “Unabashed with the Robertson Family” podcast revealed Phil’s son Jase’s diagnosis.
“Phil isn’t doing well. I think I’ve spoken on the thousandth podcast. We were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but the doctors say he has some kind of blood disorder that’s causing all kinds of problems,” Jase said.
Phil Robertson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. (Courtesy of Phil Robertson)
“It seems like it’s accelerated, and it’s causing problems with his whole body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer’s. So when you put those things together, he’s really not doing well. He’s struggling.” , he continued.
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Phil played a major role on 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 father can barely walk around without “crying out in pain.”
“It seems like it’s accelerated, and it’s causing problems with his whole body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer’s. So when 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 cousin, Zach Dasher.
Jase noted that the team of doctors told him and his family that “there is no cure for 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 grateful for the prayers and support being sent Phil’s way.
Phil starred in “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 acquired the “Duck Dynasty” patriarch for equating gays with hellish sinners in a GQ interview. A firestorm ensued among his legions of defenders who felt the star was censored by the network, which later reinstated him.
In 2022, Phil released his book, “Not Canceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Blame, Shame, and Condemnation.” It explored how today’s cancel culture can be confronted with the Christian faith.
Phil Robertson released his book ‘Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation’ in 2022. (Phil Robertson)
“Those who attacked me, I didn’t blame them,” Robertson told Fox News Digital at the time. “They asked me a question about a certain sin, homosexual behavior. And they asked if I believed it was a sin. I thought to myself, that’s a strange question to ask someone, but I was just quoting a Bible verse… .I quoted what God said had to say about that sin and nine other sins, but it was on the list of sins… While we were doing ‘Duck Dynasty’, the higher ups at A&E decided to take the ax on me. dropping it without first investigating what was there happened.’
The suspension immediately drew praise from gay rights groups. Conservative fans argued that their views were often overlooked by Hollywood and the media. More than half a million people held a makeshift Facebook page demanding the show be boycotted until Robertson returned.
“They put me on what’s called an indefinite hiatus,” Robertson explained. “I said, ‘I think I might get fired, right?’ Hiatus says you’re no longer part of the program. After nine days they hired me again, but we had all kinds of sponsors just getting off the ground. They had made fun of what I said. And as a result, they tried them to cancel me. But that didn’t cancel me at all. I still love them.’
Robertson founded the Duck Commander Company. (Getty Images)
“The Bible teaches us to love your neighbor even when they make mistakes,” he shared.
Robertson and his extended family were originally turned into TV and pop culture stars in 2012. “Duck Dynasty” set box office records for a nonfiction series.
After Robertson ruffled feathers, season 5 of “Duck Dynasty” saw significant audience fallout, The New York Times reported. The show officially ended in 2017 after 11 seasons.
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Robertson said he has no regrets about the GQ interview.
Phil Robertson’s illnesses cannot be cured, according to his son Jase. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“No regrets at all, none,” he said. “I just kept going. I never called the emergency room and said, ‘What are you doing?’ I never said a word when they came to see me about ten days after all this happened. I said, “Guys, did you ever hear from me with some kind of angry phone call because you were going to fire me?” They said, ‘Mr. Robertson, you never said a word.’ …I quoted a Bible verse that talked about homosexual behavior.
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“I just quoted the Bible verse that God wrote through the apostle Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit… I couldn’t have dreamed it out of my head. It didn’t go any further than that,” Phil said.
Stephanie Nolasco of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
