Family Guy Changing Its Tune on Gay Jokes

Family Guy won't be joking around about homosexuality anymore. In a recent TVLine interview (which was mostly focused on Sunday's President Trump-centric episode), the executive producers of the animated sitcom were asked about a line in the episode in which Peter tells Trump the show is "trying to phase out [gay jokes]." Is that true in reality? "Kind of, yes," Alec Sulkin replied. "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."

Added Rich Appel, "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." The Advocate's response: "Has hell frozen over?" As the Hollywood Reporter explains, the Seth MacFarlane-created comedy has had a running gag over its 17 years on the air involving gay jokes at the expense of baby of the family Stewie Griffin. (There was a sweet backstory to Smithers coming out on The Simpsons.)