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Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 1:20 PM UTC

Fox pulls “Family Guy” episode after Boston Marathon bombing

A viral clip that showed Peter Griffin detonating two explosive devices forced the network to act VIDEO

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Topics: Video, Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, Boston Explosions, Boston Marathon, Bombing, Comedy, Television,

Fox pulls (Credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Among productive messages of hope, inspiration and unity arising from the Boston Marathon explosions, there have, unfortunately, been some less helpful reactions — one being a conspiracy theory from conspiracy theorist extraordinaire Alex Jones, who claimed that the media knew about the bombing in advance. His proof? A doctored clip from the March 17 “Family Guy” episode, “Turban Cowboy,” in which Peter Griffin wins the Boston Marathon (by running over marathon participants in a car), and later befriends a terrorist whom he unknowingly aids in bombing a bridge. Though the two events are unrelated in the episode, the clip edited the scenes to make them seem connected — a “prediction” of the bombing.

As the edited clip began to circulate on social media, “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane was compelled to respond:

In response, Fox has pulled the episode from Hulu and Fox.com.

View the edited clip below:

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com. More Prachi Gupta.

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