HGTV Cancels Benham Brothers' Program Over Virulent Homophobic Comments
Bill Berkowitz printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Mon May 19, 2014 at 11:47:24 AM EST
Twin brothers Jason and David Benham, the sons of anti-abortion zealot Flip Benham, were slated to host a new reality program this fall on HGTV called "Flip It Forward." After a batch of their homophobic, anti-choice and anti-Muslim statements came to light, the network decided to drop the show.

However, there's no need to cry for the Benham twins as they are rapidly ascending the evangelical conservative Christian martyrdom ladder, recently occupied by Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson and Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy.

'Solid individuals with strong beliefs'?

When the network, which airs such popular programs as "House Hunters", "Property Virgins", "Design on a Dime", and "Curb Appeal", announced the show, it stated that the brothers will "leverage their good-natured sibling rivalry to help families find a fixer-upper and transform it into the dream home they never thought they could afford."

After hearing about HGTV's change of mind, David Benham told The Hollywood Reporter, "I think it would be healthy for America to show a balanced approach, but at the same time, we're in the free market, and they have a choice to make. If they don't choose us, it's no big deal. We are not pushing this at all." He also said that HDTV was "bullied" into making its decision to not go ahead with the program.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The brothers, graduates of Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, said "that, while HGTV had previously wanted them to host a real estate show, other networks were interested in them for different concepts, including shows that would have also focused on their wives and kids, their fitness routines and their various other business. The brothers describe themselves as 'serial entrepreneurs' who didn't necessarily seek out a TV show, even though, prior to the gay-marriage controversy, they had been approached by five different networks."

"David and I are solid individuals with strong beliefs, but if these networks are willing to put us on the air, we'd be willing to talk ... we're family guys, we're fitness guys, we're entrepreneurs, and we really hit it big in real estate, so a network could have a lot of fun with an idea to wrap around all that," Jason Benham said.

Are the Benham Brothers victims of an overzealous left? Have they merely been expressing their opinions in a civil manner, engaging their opponents in honest and open debate? Are they the homosexual-loving sweethearts they are portraying themselves as?

If you like your homophobia Phil Robertson/Duck Dynasty style, your anti-Muslim opinions stated recklessly, and enjoy a solid dose of anti-abortion zealotry, the twins are right up your alley. These aren't your run-of-the-mill opponents of same-sex marriage, abortion, and/or Islam. Read their comments about these social and religious issues, and then decide whether this is the "balance" America needs.

Stop 'homosexuality ... that is attacking the nation'

According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, David Benham, "led a prayer rally ... outside of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2012, which he told conservative radio host Janet Mefferd was needed to stop 'homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation' and 'demonic ideologies tak[ing] our universities and our public school systems.'"

David pointed out that his brother Jason had helped him organize the protest.

In a rant worthy of his dad -- Flip Benham headed up Operation Rescue, the vicious abortion-clinic protest group, whose name was later changed to Operation Save America after its founder, Randall Terry, left the group -- David told Mefferd that "We don't realize that, okay, if 87 percent of Americans are Christians and yet we have abortion on demand; we have no-fault divorce; we have pornography and perversion; we have a homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation; we have adultery; we have all of the things; we even have allowed demonic ideologies to take our universities and our public school systems while the church sits silent and just builds big churches. We are so complacent, we are so apathetic and we are very hypocritical in the church, that's why the Bible says judgment begins in the house of God. So when we prayed at 714 we asked God and our city to forgive us for allowing these things in the house of God."

An Anti-Defamation League Operation Save America backgrounder, noted that David Benham got involved in the battle over the proposed building of an Islamic Center in downtown Manhattan, calling the center a "den of iniquity" and maintaining that Muslims were an "enemy attacking" America. Benham added: "The difference between Islam and Christianity: Islam takes life and enslaves it. Christianity lays its life down and sets you free."

According to lgbtqnation.com, the brothers recently appeared on Glenn Beck's television program where Jason said: "It's a spiritual fight. From the beginning of time, it was God and there was the Devil and both of them use people for their own purposes." Jason later added "that they are not attacking 'the homosexual community' because the real issue is 'God versus the Devil.'"

The Benham Brothers have already become a cause célèbre for the Christian Right, portrayed as victims of political correctness, liberal fascism, and the liberal media. Chris Stone, the founder of Faith Driven Consumer, told The Daily Caller: "There is a general secular agenda -- the strongest voice of which currently is the LGBT agenda -- that is so adamantly pushing their worldview that it attempts to steamroll any worldview that is in opposition to it."

The Daily Caller noted that Faith Driven Consumer "battled GLAAD during its anti-Duck Dynasty effort last year. It has now launched an effort in support of the Benham brothers called FlipThisDecision.com."

You can count on the Benham boys milking the heck out of their fifteen-plus minutes. In all likelihood, they will wind up with some type of show on some network. The Hollywood Reported pointed out INSP TV, which reaches 75 million homes with content that honors "traditional values" has indicated some interest.




Display:
People watching Home and Garden TV want to watch how-to makeovers of homes, not have to listen to rants. That's why those viewers are at HGTV and not a religious network. HGTV advertisers want to reach viewers interested in home-improvement projects, not in abrasive talk. Benhams have boxed themselves into a very specific demographic and media.

by NancyP on Mon May 19, 2014 at 02:41:22 PM EST


WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (375 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (203 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (111 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (251 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (65 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (177 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (180 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (331 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (149 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.