Is 'Duck Dynasty' Losing One of Its Big Stars?

The Parade magazine cover featuring the Robertson family. Phil is pictured second from the left. (Source: Parade magazine)

If you're like most of America, you have August 14th marked on your calendar. That's the day the new season of TV's hottest show, "Duck Dynasty," premiers. But fans of the show were likely stunned this weekend when rumors started circulating that one of the show's stars and the family's patriarch, Phil Robertson, could be leaving. And since it was based on a quote from the man himself, it quickly gained legs.

So is Phil Robertson leaving the show anytime soon? No, the family told TheBlaze.

In an interview with Parade magazine for it's July 28 issue, Phil was asked how much longer he plans on being on the show. His response was, “Not long. But I think it’ll go on without me.”

That immediately sent ripples throughout the camouflage community.

Yahoo ran this headline:

The headline on Yahoo's TV section about Phil Robertson's comments on leaving the show.

The Huffington Post joined:

The headline on the Huffington Post regarding Phil Robertson's comments.

But fans can breath a sigh of relief.

"There is no set time for Dad to leave," Alan Robertson, Phil's oldest son who will be joining the family on camera this season, told TheBlaze in an email. "He just meant that he can't see himself doing the show for as long as all of us 'young bucks' (his affectionate term for his boys).

"There are no plans for anyone to leave Duck Dynasty anytime soon," the elder Robertson, who's also a pastor, added. "We do appreciate the love for the Robertson family out there and are looking forward to a great upcoming season and [those] beyond that will include Mom and Dad."

As for Alan, he recently told the New York Post he's excited to join the show because of what it means for spreading his faith.

“What I do for our church — you see, it’s a pretty good-sized church — impacts a lot of people, but because of my association with the show, I’ll get to minister to a lot more people,” he said. “Any person that’s an evangelist, that’s what you want to do, so I had to give this up for something possibly bigger.”

And he reiterated that the family has been upfront with the network about their beliefs from the beginning -- and the network was okay with it.

“From Day 1, Dad held up his Bible and said, ‘This is part of our lives, is this going to be in?’ ” Alan told the Post. “And they were like, ‘That’s in, that’s part of who you are.’”

If you can't get enough of the bearded brothers before August 14th, check out the two videos posted by Parade to accompany the story. The first is a behind-the-scenes look at the family's cover shoot. The second is Jase giving some tips on blowing a duck call:

As TheBlaze reported earlier, the “Duck Dynasty” season three finale was the most-watched series on A&E in all key demographics, the network has said, with a record-breaking 9.6 million total viewers.  It was cable’s #1 non-fiction series, and #2 overall, falling behind only “The Walking Dead.”

You can also read the entire profile on Alan from the New York Post. And catch more quotes from the candid clan's interview over at Parade magazine. The latest season of "Duck Dynasty" premiers on A&E on August 14th.

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