[A&E] is explaining that Phil's personal beliefs are not reflected in the show that is ostensibly about Phil. I'm trying to remember whether I've ever seen a network point out quite so clearly — if perhaps accidentally — that you don't have to punish Show Phil for the things that are said in the press by Actual Phil.
For another, it seems vanishingly unlikely that A&E has filmed Phil for 50 episodes and didn't know he felt this way. That makes it hard to believe the suspension is meant to send Phil off to rethink his position on gay people or learn to be more tolerant if they haven't done so before. It seems that Real Phil is instead being suspended for opening his mouth to GQ and fussing with the carefully maintained image of Show Phil by telling people what he actually thinks
-- Linda Holmes, for NPR