“Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
On Friday’s episode of the “Unashamed with the Robertson Family” podcast, Phil’s son Jase revealed the diagnosis.
“Phil’s not doing well. I think I spoke on the 1000th podcast, we were trying to find the diagnosis, but according to the doctors he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems,” Jase said.
Phil Robertson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. (Courtesy of Phil Robertson)
“It’s like an acceleration, and it’s causing problems throughout his body. And he’s suffering from early stage Alzheimer’s disease. So if you put those things together, he’s really not doing well. He is struggling,” he continued.
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Phil was a big part of the “Unashamed” podcast, but due to his declining health, he’s literally “unable to sit down and have a conversation,” Jase revealed. He also noted that these days his father can barely walk around without “screaming in pain.”
“It’s like an acceleration, and it’s causing problems throughout his body. And he’s suffering from early stage Alzheimer’s disease. So if you put those things together, he’s really not doing well. He is having trouble.”
“He misses it. He misses the stories we tell,” Jase said of the podcast.
The “Shameless with the Robertson Family” included Phil, Jase, Phil’s son Alan, and Phil’s nephew Zach Dasher.
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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 appreciative of the prayers and support sent to Phil.
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 suspended the “Duck Dynasty” patriarch for equating gay people with sinners doomed to hell in a GQ interview. A storm broke out among his legions of defenders who felt that the star was censored by the channel, which then reinstated him.
In 2022, Phil released his book, “Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Blame, Shame, and Condemnation.” It explored how today’s cancel culture can confront the Christian faith.
Phil Robertson published 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 particular sin, homosexual behavior. And they asked me if I believed that was a sin. I thought, that’s a strange question to ask someone , but I just quoted a verse from the Bible…I quoted what God said “I had something to say about this sin and nine other sins, but it was in the list of. sins… While we were making “Duck Dynasty,” senior management at A&E decided to throw the ax at me without first looking at what had happened.”
The suspension drew immediate praise from gay rights groups. Conservative fans have argued that their views are often overlooked by Hollywood and the media. More than half a million people liked an impromptu Facebook page demanding the show be boycotted until Robertson returns.
“They put me on what they called an indefinite hiatus,” Robertson said. “I said, ‘I think I might get fired, don’t I?’ Hiatus says you’re out of the program. After nine days, they reinstated me, but we had all kinds of sponsors who just took off. They didn’t care what I said. What I did was quote a verse from the Bible and as a result they tried to cancel me, but it didn’t cancel me at all.
Robertson founded the Duck Commander Company. (Getty Images)
“The Bible teaches us to love our neighbor even with his mistakes,” he shared.
Robertson and his extended family originally became television and pop culture stars in 2012. “Duck Dynasty” set cable ratings records for a nonfiction series.
After Robertson ruffled feathers, “Duck Dynasty” Season 5 saw significant ratings fallout, The New York Times reported. The series officially ended in 2017 after 11 seasons.
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Robertson said he has no regrets about doing 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 A&E and said, ‘What are you doing?’ I never said a word when they came to visit me about 10 days after all this happened. I said, “Have you guys ever heard of me with any kind of. angry phone call because you were firing me? They said, “Mr. Robertson, you never said a word”…I quoted a Bible verse that dealt with homosexual behavior.
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“I just quoted the Bible verse that God had written through the Apostle Paul by the power of the Holy Spirit…I didn’t dream it off the top of my head. It didn’t go any further than that,” Phil said.
Stephanie Nolasco of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
