Duck Dynasty's Willie Robertson said in a recent interview with Larry King that he's still trying to figure out where he stands on the controversy surrounding homosexuality being instilled at birth or learned in life.
When Larry King asked Willie if he thinks people choose to be gay, the Duck Commander CEO looked uneasy.
"Larry, I'm trying to figure that out right now," Robertson said, addressing the issue after his father, Phil, famously remarked about homosexuality a few times in the last year. "I really am since the controversy and since I know all these people - and if the thought is 'I'm born this way.' I don't know. I'm trying to figure out myself through the passages, because I always have to look to the scriptures to see what's there and then I put it up against people - put my time in, so I've spent time with people."
Last year, patriarch Phil Robertson was in hot water after comments he made about homosexuality being a sin. "Common sense says we are not going to procreate the human race unless we have a man and a woman," he said. "From the beginning Jesus said, 'It is a man and a woman.' Adam was made and Eve was made for this reason. They left their fathers and mothers and be united to become one flesh, that's what marriage is all about."
While these comments originally caused controversy and the possible cancelling of the show by A&E, Duck Dynasty's viewers gave overwhelming support to the Robertsons, allowing the show to return nine days later and go on stronger than ever.
But son Willie is not as black-and-white on the topic, according to the King interview. "I'm not the judge. God's going to be the judge, so it's not my job to convince people to change their lives - it's really through Jesus," he said. "If I just introduce them to Jesus, he'll do that."
But Robertson did speak more about the strength of his faith and how they have done everything through the "lens of faith" and reliance on God. "We've always lived our lives that way. It's worked for us," he added. "People without faith - it's really just a good game of luck ... we're going off the premise that there's something beyond this life."
In the rest of the interview, Robertson talks about the possibility of running for political office one day. "I dunno. My wife is telling me I better not even think about it. I'm interested in politics. I would love to make a difference in helping some way."
Larry King goes on to discuss the revenue reportedly made by the famous family to be $400 million from Walmart merchandise sales alone in 2013. But when King asked how the family deals with all the money and fame, Willie said that they're still simple folk. "It's tough when you go from zero to hero that fast. Because you don't want to make mistakes and do bad business. You want to remain authentic."
But Robertson admits that his family's life has certainly changed since the first season. When asked what he would change about the show, he mentioned the fact that so much has changed behind the scenes, and he wishes the viewers could really see what their lives have become. "It's so interesting in reality TV. When it started, our lives were one way, and you fast forward a couple years later, and it's a totally different thing and so it's tricky trying to make the show about reality without basically showing what's become of reality TV because of our lives."
