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Duck Dynasty stars Willie and Korie Robertson broke their silence on the recent controversy surrounding Phil Robertson‘s anti-gay remarks during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday night.
Speaking to Bill Hemmer and Elisabeth Hasselbeck during the network’s “All-American New Year” special, Willie was asked what he thought of A&E’s decision to briefly suspend Phil from the show after he used lewd imagery to discuss why he doesn’t understand homosexuality, which he also called a sin and compared to bestiality.
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“We’re just glad to be back to work,” Willie said. “A&E and us are fine. … We’re looking forward to getting back to making some funny shows. It’s a new year, so we’re ready to break in a new year and start all over again.”
He added of the upcoming season, which premieres Jan. 15: “We’re ready to get started. We got a new season coming up in a couple weeks, and we’re really excited about that. We got a couple episodes filmed … and we’re ready to move on. I think we all learned a lot, and we’re just ready to move on, and the family’s happy and ready to go.”
Korie, his wife, added that she and the rest of the Robertsons are grateful that they can continue filming the show together.
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“I’m just glad the family is all together,” she said. “The best thing about the show is we get to do it together as a family, and that fact that we get to continue to do that, we’re all happy, happy, happy.”
Of the upcoming season, the duo teased that viewers will get to meet new people — including an assistant Willie hired.
“We just try to stick together have fun, we laugh at ourselves and forgive each other,” she said. “At the end of day, we sit down and thank God for our blessings ,and we’re gonna continue to do that and hopefully we can spread that message. And I think, as a country, if we can come back to that a little bit, we’ll have a great 2014.”
Asked where Phil was on New Year’s Eve, Willie said he wasn’t sure but thought that his father was likely asleep because he is “not a big celebrator of the holiday” and he was planning to get up early to go duck hunting.
STORY: ‘Duck Dynasty’ Stars Don’t Mind Knockoffs and Imitators: We Need ‘Clean Television’
The controversy began earlier this month when Phil told GQ magazine: “It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”
Groups including GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign slammed his remarks, while others, including Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh, defended his right to free speech.
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