Salon.com > Family Guy

Fox pulls “Family Guy” episode after Boston Marathon bombing

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:20:00 +0000

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:

[embedtweet id="324224774421217282"]

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

View the edited clip below:

Seth MacFarlane to host 85th Academy Awards

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Seth MacFarlane, the "Family Guy" creator with super white teeth and super dirty speech, has been chosen to host the 85th annual Academy Awards. (Hopefully, his jokes will consist of more than "Family Guy" impressions and profanity.) It's been a solid year for MacFarlane, who hosted "SNL" earlier this year, was an announcer at the Emmy's, and directed the box office hit "Ted."

MacFarlane followed up the announcement by tweeting this sketch, mainly about his dad's bathing suits:

If this video is a preview of things to come, then let us remember what Jon Stewart told David Letterman about his experience hosting the Oscars: "At some level, deep in our hearts, we think it's stupid."

Justin Bieber wears a $25k “Family Guy” necklace

Thu, 26 May 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Remember when everyone got upset because Justin Bieber went to Rolling Stone and said he supported universal healthcare but was pro-life? It was like we were treating the 17-year-old like an adult with opinions that deserve debating! So silly!

Because just for reference, Justin Bieber wears a necklace of Stewie Griffin from "Family Guy" around town, and that necklace costs $25,000. I would not take his opinion on the best part of Epcot Center seriously, let alone his views on abortion.

(Photo via TMZ)

Five instances of Osama bin Laden hiding out in pop culture

Mon, 02 May 2011 12:01:00 +0000

In the past decade, Osama bin Laden invaded our sense of safety, but also our pop culture. Here's a look at the top five most memorable appearances by the slain al-Qaeda terrorist in TV and film, from the irreverent to the bizarre.

1. "Family Guy": While American audiences found dread in bin Laden's cryptic video messages, Seth MacFarlane found gag reel opportunity. The show's famous FCC-baiting episode "PTV" depicted the terrorist in Afghanistan cracking up during a taping of his own terrifying video message. Botching the pronunciation of "Ramadan," the cartoon bin Laden breaks character to say, "Did I just say Radaman? What is that? Yeah, maybe Dennis Radaman is going to punish you with his crazy hair." Bin Laden made several appearances on "Family Guy" throughout the years, though many never made it to the screen.

“Family Guy’s” latest “shock” target: Veterans

Mon, 17 May 2010 15:03:00 +0000

Lately, the only way "Family Guy" excels is proving how much better "South Park" is at incendiary humor. While Matt Stone and Trey Parker's dirty little sociopaths have managed to freak out an entire network – while winning such unlikely fans as Bill O'Reilly – for taking on religious taboos and putting the prophet Muhammad in a bear suit, Seth MacFarlane's comedy limps along, whipping up controversy with lame jokes about Down Syndrome kids. And on Sunday, the show inexplicably made light of the men who died in Vietnam.

On a trip to the nation's capitol, patriarch Peter Griffin spies a pair of veterans at the memorial wall, where a Vietnamese man is "giving the business" to them by referring to the names on the monument as a "Scoreboard! Scoreboard!" He then points to one name on the wall and says, "Aw, what happen to your friend? Hey, I know that guy – I kill him! He cry like a bitch!" Rimshot!

Oh, for God's sake. How does a show get cynical enough to drum up attention with gags like that?