Was 'Duck Dynasty's' Phil Robertson Intentionally Absent From Super Bowl Time Warner Commercial?
A Super Bowl commercial featuring some cast members from "Duck Dynasty" has viewers questioning if Phil Robertson was purposely omitted from the one-minute Time Warner spot due to his recent controversy with the A&E television network.
The commercial features such celebrities as P.Diddy, Jimmy Fallon, Drake, and "True Blood's" Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin welcoming customers "to the new world of Time Warner Cable," which features "super-fast internet" and television streaming options for tablets, phones, and computers.
"Whatever you're passionate about, Time Warner invents ways for you to enjoy it even better," a narrator says as the commercial ends.
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Along with showing popular entertainment acts such as Drake and Jimmy Fallon, the one-minute commercial also cashes in on the success of the hit A&E reality show "Duck Dynasty" by showing three of the show's most popular cast members, Jase, Willie, and Si, participating in one of their classic hillbilly high jinks. The show segment featuring the three cast members shows Si throwing something into a hole in the ground while yelling "fire in the hole." After a loud explosion, Jase asks Willie, "Didn't I tell you it wouldn't work?" and Willie responds, "I can't hear."
Viewers of the commercial, which aired during Sunday evening's Super Bowl game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, were quick to note that Phil Robertson, the patriarch and star of "Duck Dynasty," was not present alongside his brother and two sons for the Time Warner spot. Although Phil isn't nearly as goofy as his fellow cast members and often opts out of public appearances, some suggest that perhaps Time Warner purposely nixed him from the commercial due to the recent controversy involving comments he made regarding homosexuality to GQ Magazine in late December.
Phil's comments, although in line with his evangelical faith, sparked public backlash and caused A&E to suspend him from the show temporarily, only to reinstate him nine days later after much of the public argued the hunter and businessman shouldn't be punished for exercising his First Amendment rights.
The celebrity gossip website Wet Paint wrote that "perhaps Time Warner didn't want to take the risk that America hasn't fully forgiven Phil for his comments," while also suggesting, "On the other hand, Phil's absence may be completely his own doing."
Phil has been known to casually skip out on popular media appearances, including missing an interview for Barbara Walters' "10 Most Fascinating People" in December to reportedly go duck hunting.
The Inquisitr also questions if the absence of Phil from the commercial was intentional or completely unrelated to the recent controversy, writing, "It's certainly plausible that Phil – who is generally the straight man of the show – was left out of the commercial for reasons completely unrelated to his controversial comments."
In addition to this recent commercial, some have also questioned if the Phil controversy caused the show's fifth season, which debuted Jan. 15, to gain significantly lower ratings than previous seasons. The show's premiere raked in 8.5 million viewers and its second episode saw a significant decline with 6.7 million viewers. The show eventually did bounce back, however, reaching 7.49 million viewers with its third episode, and still maintained a top spot for Wednesday night cable telecasts despite its lower-than-usual ratings.
