Ah ha! You are a phony!

The show is scripted.  The people are real, but their 'characters' are not.  Their images were created to match their characters and the transition is much more extensive than just growing a beard.  The situations are fake scripted events (like all 'reality' shows).  Anyone can find reality in 'reality' shows if they really want to, but it's all fake. 

Btw, the picture on the beach is of Jase Robertson, not Phil Robertson, and it's not very old - unless he has children that don't age...  You can find the same family beach photos of Jep and Willie, before their image 'makeover'. 

You make a show about redneck's and don't expect it to reflect typically redneck sentiments? You need to be struck in the head repeatedly until your brain turns on.

Well, that even the "most real" shows are scripted is obvious. Was just questioning if a picture of someone from the past is enough to show that everything he represents in the show is fake. And with some more research I found that at least one of his brother looked already like they look now when they took the photos on that beach on a wedding or whatever. 

and here a pic of this jason robertson from 2008. beard already growing

and if we talk about the father, here a video from early 2010. to me it looks as if that is exactly the person you can also see in the show from what i read about him. not like a guy who was someone totally different before the show started.

My bad. Posted the wrong Name, thanks for the fix.

Big words, but not much substance in them, I'm affraid. To the business side - from what I've seen, this TV station needs him more than he needs it. Moreover, if they've decided to make a reality show about a very religious guy and now they are shocked that he expressed the official stance of the Church towards homosexualism in an absolutely politically correct way, they are a bunch of idiots.

@Bold - Yeah, I disagree with you here. There is no huge area in between these two points imho. Homosexualism has been considered just that for hundreds, or even thousands of years and just because majority of people in the West have only recently decided to shift the borders a bit doesn't allow you to make such arbitrary statements. In fact it probably still is considered just that in more places than it isn't. You can't just force your point of view on people who prefer to hold on to their traditional values, especially if they express their point of view in such a civil way as he did. Because again, there is no insulting there, unlike you suggest.

In fact after that event in the kindergarten (here you have a link to a Polish article: http://parezja.pl/dzieci-wyrzucone-z-przedszkola-z-powodu-ideologii-gender/ I hope google translator will help you, as it's obviously in Polish. Unfortunately there aren't many articles about it, since most media didn't really pay attention to this. That's what happens when such accidents happen, but God forbid when it's the other way round, all hell breaks loose...), there was a debate in one program in which the anchor mentioned and analysed a WHO document about gender education. Quite many points of that document are blatant forms of pedophilia in Poland (and I tell this to you as a lawyer). So yeah, I totally disagree with you about this whole "huge area between". The borders have been moved, but the gender movement is still trying to push them further and further, even into what is illegal today. I absolutely disagree with this. I'm not religious, but I respect Judeo-Christian values and hold them in high regard, as they've stood the test of time and it is a fact that whenever we've tried to reject them and replace with something else, terrifying things happened. This can't be said about the "values" of gender "philosophy", which at some points are absolutely unacceptable for me. Tolerance, understanding, equal treatment, rights - yes, absolutely. But I disagree to the minority terror that is showing its head and to the constant pushing of their demands and to the substitution of our values with these new ideas.

When I think of this movement I see beautiful and absolutely reasonable slogans on their banners, but their actions don't reflect these slogans in the slightest and actually aim at totally different goals, that I no longer agree with.

I'm not sure how you consider those big words, they're actually pretty small in the grand scheme of things, regardless.  If you're not aware of the 'slippery slope' argument that the right uses constantly, well, read the news, they've been using it as a bullet point for decades (Unfortunately, it's a problematic form of critical thinking because it shifts the focus from the point at hand to rather extreme hypotheticals, without showing proof that these hypotheticals could occur, ergo using emotional leverage to steer discussion away from the actual point...yes, I know, the right using fear as a debate tactic, shocking).  

Though, it raises the question, why aren't Catholic Priests banging animals left and right if their slippery slope theory is accurate?  And how come more Priests aren't excommunicated for rape, and instead just shuffled around to other neighborhoods so they can rape more?  Moral high ground, the church does not have.

Beyond that, you really firmly believe that there's no middle ground between praising homosexuality, and not insulting it?  You sir, are incorrect.  There's tons of room.  Such as:

"I disagree with it, but it's their right...moving on"  See how hard that was?

or how about:

"I'm not touching that one, next question"  Why are celebrities and basically people who live an above average lifestyle incapable of telling a journalist, no comment?  And how can you possibly not have seen these two options as middle ground?

As far as his worth to A&E, well, you may be right, they may need him, or he may bring in the top dollars among A&E's shows, but ultimately it's up to them.  It's their brand, not his.  They will make the decisions that affect their company, for better or worse.  However, the dude should've known better.  In a world with instant news, there are simply things that major corporations will react strongly too, when spoken aloud.  That's just how it is.  Don't like it?  Don't get into show business...those are the risks for earning top dollar in this day and age.

And by the way, if you check the article again, it includes this blurb:

a new report indicates A&E warned Phil Robertson to keep quiet about controversial issues such as gay rights.

If true, then he knew this was coming before A&E even lifted a finger in response.

Wow, dude, seriously?

It isn't just against gays for his hateful ignorante comments, but also women, athiest, etc.

"They're full of murder, envy, strife, hatred. They are insolent, arrogant, God-haters. They are heartless, they are faithless, they are senseless, they are ruthless. They invent ways of doing evil."

Sounds like perhapse you agree with him?  If you do that is your right, but people will point out that you are those things and call you names you might not want to hear. 

Plus, as I pointed out with a Biblcal quote, he is a total hypocryte that pics and chose that he wants believe when it's convenant to him, but not when he would really have to do something.

Except that gays are not necessarily hateful, homophobes are.

he should have never agreed to that interview, a and e should have prepped him, denied him, something. a and e knew his beliefs and should have kept him away from a publication that would obviously ask him questions like this. honestly I think they created the scandal on purpose. BTW add wine to the product list. oh, and yeah they should reinstate him, whoever keeps saying that they can find something else to replace it doesn't know squat about TV ratings you cannot just replace the number one show.