Duck Dynasty has been a huge hit of a series for A&E ever since it hit the airwaves back in 2012, and it helped put production company Gurney Productions on the map. Gurney Productions is in a bit of turmoil at the moment due to some major management shake-ups. Founders Scott and Deirdre Gurney have been removed from their positions as head honchos at the company for the indefinite future.
Scott and Deirdre Gurney have been placed on a leave of absence from Gurney Productions. The leave has been described as "short" and "temporary," but there have been no dates set for when they will or will not return to their roles as bosses of the company. Craig Armstrong of ITV will step in as the interim CEO to Gurney Productions. ITV has had a controlling interest in Gurney since back in 2012, so Armstrong's selection to fill in for the Gurneys doesn't come as a huge surprise. Given that Armstrong is an Emmy-winning producer who has contributed to series like Survivor, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and Food Revolution over the years, the folks at Gurney have a qualified person helming the company for the time being.
The board of directors is responsible for temporarily ousting Scott and Deirdre Gurney, and Deadline reports that they are currently in talks to figure out where they'll all go from here on out with the company. Craig Armstrong sent out an email to Gurney Productions staff after being named interim CEO to reassure them that business will continue as usual, just under new management. He is, evidently, interested in getting to know the employees and figuring out how they contribute to Gurney.
The email is mostly vague about why Scott and Deirdre Gurney are no longer active in the day-to-day activities of the company, although it does rather ominously warn that employees should not discuss the proceedings with anybody, including the Gurneys themselves. All questions are to be directed to management. The folks at Gurney seem determined to keep the details as in-house as possible.
Of course, the vagueness of the email doesn't mean that sources haven't already reached out to the media to share some of what is going on behind the scenes. THR learned that the leave of absence for Scott and Deirdre Gurney was prompted by an internal fraud investigation to determine whether or not the founders of Gurney Productions are guilty of any wrongdoing. No charges have been filled, but certain billing irregularities reportedly raised red flags with execs.
Gurney Productions is responsible for projects that have aired on Spike TV, Syfy, and Discovery in addition to Duck Dynasty for A&E. You can catch new episodes of Duck Dynasty on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on A&E. The show will come to an end in April 2017, although holiday specials will air even after the series finale. Fans should be sure to tune in over the coming months to see what happens as Duck Dynasty wraps up. Take a look at our midseason 2017 TV premiere schedule to see what hits the airwaves in the new year.
