Two cable channel executives have said they would gladly broadcast Duck Dynasty if the A&E channel decides to drop the hit reality-TV series.
Executives at the Christian-affiliated Hunt Channel and the outdoorsy Pursuit Channel told TMZ that they believe in the freedom of speech and would like to air the show, which came under fire after a star made homophobic and condescending remarks about African Americans during an interview.
“We believe in the Second Amendment and freedom of speech,” Merrill Sport, owner of the Hunt Channel, told TMZ. “A&E needs to put on their big boy pants, and if they don't like the programming, they need to either let [DD] go or shut up and pay them."
In a separate interview with the website, Rusty Faulk, CEO of the Pursuit Channel, said the network is 100 percent interested in the show. "We don't censor our personalities," he told TMZ.
Duck Dynasty is on “indefinite hiatus” after Robertson’s interview in the pages of next month’s GQ sparked a vociferous uproar among civil rights activists and unleashed a torrent of complaints in the world of social media. Conservatives protested, charging that Robertson, a self-proclaimed “Bible-thumper,” was the victim of censorship. But activists and commentators remained firm in their criticism of his remarks.
“Yanking him from the air didn’t violate his right to free speech; it was a business decision for A&E—and also just a dose of common sense,” The Root’s David Swerdlick wrote in the aftermath of the controversy.
Read more at TMZ.