‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Phil Robertson Diagnosed With Alzheimer’s: Family

Phil Robertson speaks at a campaign event for Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Fairhope, Ala., on Sept. 25, 2017. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Phil Robertson, 78, best known for his popular A&E reality television series “Duck Dynasty,” has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

During a Dec. 6 episode of “Unashamed with the Robertson Family” podcast, son Jase gave an update on his father’s health, revealing he is in the early stages of the disease.

“Phil’s not doing well. I think I spoke on the 1,000th podcast,” he said.

“We were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, they are sure that he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems.”

He noted that, in recent years, the long-standing blood disease has worsened, rapidly progressing the disease.

“It’s like accelerated, and it’s causing problems with his entire body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer’s. So, if you put those things together, he’s really not doing well. He’s struggling,” Jase said.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder affecting a person’s ability to function.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it is the most common cause of dementia, a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behavior, and social skills, affecting nearly 7 million Americans.

Jase explained the disease has begun to affect Phil’s daily life, including being able to appear on the podcast.

The podcast featured Phil, his sons Jase and Alan, and his nephew Zach Dasher sharing their Christian faith.

Jase said his father is itching to return to work and misses being able to tell the stories that they do.

“I’m like, ‘Well, Phil, you can barely walk around without crying out in pain, and your memory is not what it once was.’ He’s like, ‘Tell me about it.’ So he is literally unable to—I think he would agree—to just sit down and have a conversation,” he said.

Phil shares sons Jase, Alan, Jep, and Willie with his wife Kay. They also have a daughter, Phyllis.

In conjunction with a team of medical professionals, Jase said their family is doing everything they can to make Phil more comfortable and try to help with his memory loss.

“We’ve got a team of doctors, and then we have another set of doctors who are looking at all the tests, and they’re all in agreement that there’s no curing what he has. And so you know, what do you do? We’re trying to make him a little more comfortable,” he said.

The Robertson family rose to fame on “Duck Dynasty,” which aired on A&E from 2012 to 2017.

The series followed their lives as Louisiana-based duck hunters who also founded the Duck Commander Company.

In 2013, the network briefly suspended the family patriarch for making homophobic remarks in an interview with GQ magazine. He was later reinstated.

In response, Phil released his book “Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation,” reflecting on his Christian faith and the effects of “cancel culture.”

Speaking to “EpochTV’s Crossroads” at the time, Phil defended his previous actions, saying he doesn’t “hate anybody on planet Earth.”

“So, they tried to cancel me, but that’s not the reason I wrote the book. I’m just trying to get the human race to think seriously about loving God and loving each other,” he said.