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Family Guy is "phasing out" jokes about gay people
15 January 2019, 11:58
"The climate is different, the culture is different and our views are different."
Family Guy is finally taking a much-needed leap into 2019. The cult-comedy has probably offended every minority group possible during its 20-year run, but now they've decided they will "phase out" gags about the LGBTQ+ community. The show has notoriously targeted Stewie Griffin, the baby in the family, over his sexuality.
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The move comes following Sunday night's episode (Jan. 13), which saw Peter Griffin take on President Donald Trump. After landing a job as Trump's new press secretary, Peter later found out Trump had been sexually assaulting his daughter Meg Griffin. The pair went on to have a brawl at the golf club, which was eventually broken up by Canadian president, Justin Trudeau.
Before the fight, Peter told the US President that Family Guy would be trying to "phase out" gay jokes. Executive producers Alec Sulkin and Rich Appel then confirmed it was true during an interview with TV Line.
Asked if they would be getting rid of the offensive gags, Sulkin said: "Kind of, yes. If you look at a show from 2005 or 2006 and put it side by side with a show from 2018 or 2019, they're going to have a few differences. Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable."
"It's almost unique to Family Guy, though I can think of one other show that’s been on the air longer," Appel added. "But if a show has literally been on the air for 20 years, the culture changes. And it’s not us reacting and thinking, 'They won''t let us [say certain things].' No, we've changed too.
"The climate is different, the culture is different and our views are different. They’ve been shaped by the reality around us, so I think the show has to shift and evolve in a lot of different ways."
