Jon Stewart on ‘Duck Dynasty’: Phil Robertson Has Right to Say Ignorant S–t on TV (Video)
Jon Stewart weighed in on the controversy currently roiling the world of reality TV on Thursday, and his position on “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson’s suspension for anti-gay remarks put him in strange company.
“The Daily Show” host admitted that he believed Robertson had a right to his opinions, even though he personally didn’t agree with them. That was roughly the position of most of Fox News’ stable of anchors, who declared that Robertson’s comments that homosexuality is analogous to bestiality had put him in host water with the “word police.”
“I too have a problem with the word police,” Stewart joked. “It is by far the worst ‘Law & Order’ spinoff.”
“Look, I think what the guy said is ignorant but I also have an inclination to support a world in which saying ignorant s–t on television doesn’t get you kicked off that medium,” he added. ”But I guess I stand with the free speech absolutists at Fox News, who don’t believe you should pressure people to have to adhere to cultural norms of speech. Mostly.”
Also read: ‘Duck Dynasty’: Inside the Decision to Suspend Phil Robertson (Exclusive)
It turns out the good folks at Fox News aren’t quite as laissez faire about freedom of speech when it comes to politicians and companies substituting the word holiday for Christmas. In the past they’ve encouraged boycotts of department stores and encouraged viewers to call elected officials who had the audacity to refer to Christmas trees as holiday trees.
“Their belief in free speech doesn’t extend to the holidays when the word Christmas is mandatory,” Stewart said.
As for Robertson, Stewart confessed he was not a regular viewer of “Duck Dynasty.” In fact, he admitted he thought it was a show about ducks re-enacting episodes of “Dyansty,” which he noted would have had a huge “gay following.”
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