Voicing Joe Swanson in episodes of “Family Guy” has earned Patrick Warburton a steady income for over 25 years, but that wouldn’t be the case if his mom had her way.
Speaking at the PaleyFest LA: “Family Guy” 25th Anniversary Celebration event (via People), Warburton revealed that she tried to get the animated sitcom canceled. The reason? The show’s offensive humor doesn’t align with her Christian values. “She tried to get me to sign the petition [to cancel the show],” Warburton recalled. “I said, ‘Mom, if you don’t think I’m going to talk about this publicly, this is the greatest irony. You’re laundering money, you’re laundering it to yourself.’ They [Warburton’s parents] hate it more today.”
Warburton supported his mom and dad with his earnings from “Family Guy,” hence why he found the situation so ironic. But for a brief period, their dreams came true. “Family Guy” is one of the lucky TV shows that came back after being canceled, but Patrick Warburton’s mom didn’t cause its temporary hiatus. Fox axed the sitcom due to low ratings but, following its subsequent popularity on DVD and Adult Swim, it was resurrected. The series’ humor certainly isn’t for everyone, but Warburton has a message for those who’d happily see the show canned for good.
Why Patrick Warburton supports Family Guy’s offensive jokes
Patrick Warburton understands that “Family Guy” is offensive, but argues that the cartoon isn’t out to genuinely hurt anyone in particular. “I think there are so many things in society that we feel we can’t laugh about or joke about because everyone is so sensitive, but there needs to be some outlets like, ‘It’s okay here because it’s satire,'” he told Digital Spy. “If you don’t like it you can change the channel which I have actually done in my house before.”
In addition, the actor notes that the show’s offensive jokes are from its cast of idiotic characters who shouldn’t be taken seriously to begin with. Plus, the series is all about equal opportunity offending, otherwise its jokes would be akin to bullying. Despite its propensity for upsetting some folks, Seth Macfarlane hopes to keep making “Family Guy” for years to come, so the show’s haters shouldn’t expect it to go away any time soon.
This story originally appeared on TVLine
