You might remember earlier in the summer the patriarch of the Robertson family said he would eventually leave the show. Well, with the recent suspension of Phil Robertson on Duck Dynasty, could this all be a marketing ploy to allow him to leave the show while creating a media buzz to increase ratings?

Obviously, this is all speculation by someone who has too much time on his hands (me). But, it kind of makes sense.

  • Phil says earlier in the year he eventually wants to leave. Story goes viral.
  • Previous controversial rumors spread that A&E didn't want the family to pray on the show; ratings sky-rocketed. Family still prays.
  • Phil makes remarks in GQ. Story goes viral.
  • A&E suspends Phil "indefinitely". Story goes viral.

Do you see the connection? It all relates to publicity. Who was it that said "bad publicity is better than no publicity"? Many variations of that saying, for sure.

Is it possible this was all contrived so the elder Robertson could leave the show while leaving the show with ridiculous amounts of popularity and ratings? Anything is possible.

The entire world already knew Phil's (and the Robertson's) view on Christianity. Heck, the show was based on it. So, it's not like he stepped out and said something that we didn't know he believed. Whether we agree with him or not.

Heck, all parties involved have made a ton of money off of the show and the Robertson's 'beliefs'.

There's a firestorm of people saying they're not gonna watch the show anymore. But, you and I both know every one of them will watch the show more, now, in hopes of Phil making an appearance. No one wants to be the one that hears about Phil's appearance on the show. We all want to see it first-hand. Heck, the entire planet is talking about this. If you really wanted to hurt the show, then you'd pretend it didn't exist. They're getting more publicity now than they ever have. All the while, he gets his break from the show he previously talked about. The Duck Dynasty merch machine continues to grow and A&E continues to air one of the most viewed shows on TV.

All good things must come to an end, but this may be their way of stretching things out a bit.

Again, just speculation on my part. Am I saying they would stoop to homophobic remarks in order to increase ratings? Not at all. I'm saying that it's possible they took this earlier than expected opportunity to grant Phil's wish of leaving the show. Doing so, they're also doing damage-control with the gay-lesbian community.

What do you think? Was this just all a marketing ploy to allow Phil to exit the show?

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