‘Family Guy’ Fans Erupt After Show Promises to Remove Gay Jokes

Family Guy promised to “phase out” gay jokes on its latest episode, and fans have mixed feelings about the development.

Family Guy has been on the air for nearly 20 years now, and in that time it has taken aim at just about everyone. The show has ranged from subversive to offensive in its material, often garnering outrage from viewers. This week, however, some were upset to hear that the show would not be making jokes at the expense of the LGBTQ community anymore, according to producers.

“I may be alone here (and that’s okay) but what I’ve always loved about Family Guy is that they made fun of everyone,” one person tweeted. “Nobody was safe and I personally never felt offended but again that’s just me.”

“Got major love for the LGBT community,” added another, “but instead of thinking of the jokes as offensive, let’s look at them as a chance to laugh at yourself. You might as well cancel the show if everybody won’t be allowed to be poked fun at.”

“Family Guy has said the most out of pocket jokes about EVERYONE, believe it or not that’s what made it even more great,” echoed a third fan. “Nobody was safe, everyone got their fair share of jokes and that created a special sense of equality in the show. This action sort of ruins that.”

The announcement that the show would tone down its rhetoric around LGBTQ stereotypes began with this Sunday’s episode, “Trump Guy.” In it, Peter Griffin came face to face with President Donald Trump, and condemned his behavior towards women.

The president snapped back that “many children have learned their favorite Jewish, black and gay jokes” from watching Family Guy.

“In fairness, we’ve been trying to phase out the gay stuff,” Peter answered.

This was more than on-camera joke. Producer Alec Sulkin spoke to TV Line about the episode, admitting that it is a real conscious effort the show’s creators are making.

“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,” Sulkin said. “Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable.”

“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,” Added producer Rich Appel. “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.”

Family Guy airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.