Family Guy won’t be phasing out jokes about gay people anytime soon, according to Peter Griffin
Family Guy has made clear that it will not stop making jokes about gay people.
The show’s October 20 episode ‘Disney’s The Reboot’ featuredĀ a gag about Peter’s sexuality, followed by a scene in which a character asks: “I thought I read you guys were phasing out gay jokes?”
Peter responds: “That quote was taken out of context and widely misunderstood.”
The meta moment was a very direct reply to reports that the show, which has featured both positive LGBT+ storylines and anti-LGBT gags over the years, would beĀ āphasing outā gay jokes.
Family Guy producers had said that approach to gay jokes has evolved.
The show itself sparked the reports in January, after an episode in which Peter responds to accusations that “many children have learned their favourite Jewish, black and gay jokes by watching your show over the years” by retorting: “In fairness, weāve been trying to phase out the gay stuff.”
At the time, the showās producers confirmed to TVLineĀ that the quip was more than just a gag.
Asked if the line was serious, executive producer Alec Sulkin said: āKind 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, theyāre going to have a few differences.
āSome of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable.ā
Executive producer Rich Appel added: āItās almost unique to Family Guy, though I can think of one other show [The Simpsons] thatās been on the air longer.
āBut if a show has literally been on the air for 20 years, the culture changes. And itās not us reacting and thinking, āThey wonāt let us [say certain things].ā No, weāve changed too.
āThe climate is different, the culture is different and our views are different. Theyāve been shaped by the reality around us, so I think the show has to shift and evolve in a lot of different ways.ā
It’s unclear how exactly a direct reference on the show itself followed by interviews with two executive producers could possibly have been “misunderstood”.
Long-running show resumes LGBT+ storylines.
However, the show has wasted no time in making clear that LGBT+ people are still firmly under the microscope.
The show came under fire earlier this month for transphobic jokes, with the latest episode also taking aim at “network TV gays”.