(CP) "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson is in the "early stages" of Alzheimer's and battling another blood-related disease that is "causing problems with his entire body," his family has revealed, sparking an outpouring of support on social media.
Last week, Robertson's son, Jase, revealed the state of his 78-year-old father's health on an episode of the "Unashamed with the Robertson Family" podcast.
"Phil's not doing well. We were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, they are sure that he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems," Jase said.
He added, "And he has early stages of Alzheimer's. So, if you put those things together, he's just not doing well. ... We've got a team of doctors, and then we have another set of doctors who are looking at all the tests, and they're all in agreement that there's no curing what he has."
Despite his diagnosis, Jase said his father is hoping to return to hosting the podcast: "I'm like, 'Well Phil, you can barely walk around without crying out in pain, and your memory is not what it once was,'" said Jase. "He's like, 'Tell me about it.'"
Following the news, social media was flooded with messages of support for the Robertson patriarch.
On X, former Gov. of Louisiana Bobby Jindal wrote, "Praying for (Phil Robertson) and his family," while Samaritan's Purse CEO Franklin Graham wrote, "Would you join me in praying for Phil Robertson, his wife Miss Kay, and their family? Phil is having serious health issues. I've appreciated Phil's bold faith in Jesus Christ and the way he points to God's Word."
Robertson and his family became household names through the hit A&E reality show "Duck Dynasty," which ran from 2012 to 2017. The show chronicled the lives of the Robertsons and their business, Duck Commander, while highlighting the family's faith and conservative values.
In a previous interview with The Christian Post, Phil Robertson reflected on how, in 2013, he was suspended from "Duck Dynasty" over his candid comments about homosexuality and religion in a GQ profile. He was swiftly condemned as a bigot by LGBT activist groups, including The Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD.
"Five or six years ago, a guy came up and asked me, did I believe homosexual behavior was a sin," Robertson told CP. "I quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: 'Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the thieves, the greedy drunks, they won't inherit the Kingdom of God,'" Robertson said, citing [Paul's letter] to the church at Corinth. "'But you've been washed, you've been cleansed by the blood of Jesus,'" he added.
"I just simply quoted him a verse, a Bible verse, where God stated what it is," he added. "So it took him two weeks to figure out all I did was quote a Bible verse. He asked me a question ... and I just quoted [the Bible]. And when I quoted it, he took it and ran with it, because he thought I was just blowing smoke just off the top of my head."
Though backlash from the secular media was swift, the father, grandfather and great-grandfather noted that as a result of his boldness, "a lot of good came forth."
"We converted way more after that," he said. "See what I'm saying? God works in mysterious ways."
Robertson has authored several books, including Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander and The Theft of America's Soul, which delve into his personal story, faith and worldview. In 2022, he released Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation.
The film "The Blind," released in 2023, delved into the Duck Commander's backstory and Phil's struggles with addiction and anger prior to his conversion to Christianity.
Phil's son, Willie, told CP the family's lives would look drastically different if it weren't for an Arkansas pastor, who, in the 1970s, drove across state lines to share the Gospel with his father.
"After we came out with 'The Blind' last year about Phil and Kay's life, I thought, 'What if that hadn't happened? What if that guy didn't go up there and preach the Gospel out of fear?" Willie Robertson reflected.
"Dad had not become a Christian. He'd already kicked us out, so we knew where it was headed. It was heading towards divorce for sure, split up family. When you take that out of the mix, there would have been no Duck Commander, there would have been no company, there would have been no 'Duck Dynasty.' I don't even know if I would be a believer today."
"Every day of my life, someone has been impacted by what happened 50 years ago," he continued. "Because of what was able to come out of that, when you start thinking about the television show that reached hundreds of millions of people, still does every day ... all the books, the movies, the podcast, all the things that have pointed people in some way to the Gospel, to the light, I can trace all that back."
Korie Robetson, who is married to Willie, told CP the family wanted to portray the raw and broken parts of their story to underscore God's unwavering faithfulness.
"Phil said, from day one, 'If it impacts one person, if one person changes their life and gives their life to Jesus, because of my story, because of the darkest parts of my story, I'll do it. It'll be worth it.' One of the greatest rewards has just been to read the comments and read the emails that have come in that have told us the life change that has happened in people's lives after seeing this film."
She said the family has heard countless stories of those who've been baptized, delivered from addiction or seen their marriages healed after watching the movie. Some of the baptisms, she said, have happened right in Phil's backyard.
"I wish we knew how many thousands of people have been baptized in that river right behind Phil and Kay's house, because Phil loves to baptize people and has done it right there in his backyard for years and years and years," she said.
"People would head straight to the church or head straight to the body of water right after seeing the movie; one group had like 27 baptisms, and right after the film, everyone just kind of continued and went somewhere worshiped."
"One woman said her husband had been an alcoholic for 17 years, he never goes to the movies with her. She convinced him to come to the movie with her because he loved Phil and our show. He reached over and held her hand for the first time in years while they were watching the movie. I read that and just bawled."
