Despite being one of the most recognizable animated sitcoms on TV, Patrick Warburton revealed that his parents have always absolutely hated “Family Guy” — so much so, that his mother once tried to cancel the show entirely.
“They hate it even more today than they did 25 years ago,” Warburton said in front of a crowd at PaleyFest on Friday.
The panel — which also included creator Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Arif Zahir, Jennifer Tilly and showrunners Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin — was discussing their favorite moments from the show’s 22 seasons on Fox. That’s when Warburton admitted that his family’s spiritual values don’t quite align with the content featured in the adult cartoon.
“You come from a fairly religious family. Are they all huge ‘Family Guy’ fans?” Appel asked initially, which led Warburton to recall his childhood growing up in a devout Christian household.
“Thomas Merton was [my Dad’s] spiritual advisor, a very famous Catholic scholar,” Warburton explained. “You’d know who he was if you weren’t heathens and watch ‘Family Guy.’ When I was 13 years old, [I was] passing out pamphlets on the sins of masturbation, which did not get me into the cool crowd.”
Warburton then mentioned how his mother’s disdain for the show prompted her mission to try to get it booted from television.
“My mother was in the American Television Council and they were trying to get the show canceled, and I was helping support my parents with ‘Family Guy’ money,” Warburton said. “It’s been a nightmare. They hate it more today.”
Season 22 of “Family Guy” premiered on Fox on Oct. 1, 2023. New episodes air Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET. All seasons of “Family Guy” can also be streamed on Hulu.
