Last (duck) call for the Robertson clan

Duck Dynasty, the wildly popular A&E show about the bearded and bandana-wearing Robertson clan, will air its last episode next spring, the family announced last night. This will be the 11th season for the reality show featuring the self-proclaimed redneck business moguls from Louisiana who didn’t shy away from talking about their evangelical faith and family values on national television. While their outspoken cultural critiques won them a large and loyal following, they also created controversy. A&E briefly suspended patriarch Phil Robertson from the show in 2013 after he told an interviewer with GQ magazine that homosexuality was a sin. Following swift backlash from fans, A&E reversed course and put Robertson back on the air. Since then, the show’s ratings declined steadily, although that hasn’t stopped the family from capitalizing on every bit of its time in the spotlight. Duck Dynasty branding has appeared on everything from hunting gear to inspirational books. The Robertsons retained enough of a following that then-nominee Donald Trump asked Willie Robertson to open this summer’s Republican National Convention.