Homestead Rescue has run for five full seasons on Discovery with Marty Raney working with off-the-grid homeowners, but Raney is now causing a stir for a lot more than fortifying houses. A song that Raney recorded for his 1997 album, called Strummit From The Summit, has surfaced, and its homophobic message has prompted a response from Discovery and the Homestead Rescue producers.
The song is called "Adam & Steve," and it's nearly four minutes of Marty Raney dismissing gay relationships and condemning acceptance. With lines like "I believe in Adam and Eve, I don't believe in Adam and Steve," "whatever happened to the American dream, when we treated a lady, not a guy as a queen," "I'm an unsung hetero but then again, only in circles where men are men," and "maybe we should march in our own parade," it's no surprise that Discovery felt the need to address the situation.
A spokeswoman for the network responded to Marty Raney's "Adam & Steve" (via Deadline), saying:
This song which was written over 20 years ago does not reflect the show or the values of the network in any way.
Considering Homestead Rescue isn't exactly Shark Week in terms of high-profile programming and the fact that "Adam & Steve" debuted more than two decades ago, it's not altogether surprising that one track from one of Marty Raney's albums went unnoticed for so long. The big question may be what Discovery intends to do about the song, and whether that goes beyond the statement.
The two production companies that have brought Homestead Rescue to Discovery also responded to "Adam & Steve" resurfacing. Raw TV, a British production company that produces documentaries and scripted TV shows in addition to Homestead Rescue, echoed what Discovery's spokeswoman had to say:
Raw have no knowledge of this song (which was released 23 years ago). We are shocked by its content and we do not share any of its sentiment.
Raw also notes that "Adam & Steve" was released more than 20 years ago, and expressed shock at Marty Raney's lyrics. All3Media America is the U.S. arm of a global independent production group that produces Homestead Rescue, and their response was similar to Discovery and Raw released:
We were not aware of this song and absolutely do not share the views and sentiments that are expressed.
Strummit From The Summit was reportedly removed from Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music after Discovery and producers became aware of "Adam & Steve" and its homophobic message. At the time of writing, Marty Raney has not commented on Discovery's response to his song. New episodes of Homestead Country are scheduled to begin airing on Thursday, August 20.
Only time will tell if the fallout from "Adam & Steve" is enough for Discovery to pull the show from the airwaves. Shows have been cancelled due to the actions of stars before. For some more viewing options coming to the small screen in the not-too-distant future, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule. For some streaming options, swing by our 2020 Netflix premiere guide.
