Patrick Warburton is done apologizing for Family Guy, which he apparently was doing before
Patrick Warburton says "we need love and humor, acceptance," which can all be derived from Family Guy
No one’s trying to cancel Family Guy. Literally speaking, the show has been on for more than twenty years. Sure, there have been critics along the way, but the series enjoys a secure spot in the annals of pop culture. Perhaps the people Patrick Warburton (the voice of Joe Swanson) talks to don’t agree, as he now declares he won’t apologize for being part of one of the longest-running and most successful animated comedies in television history.
“I used to apologize for being on Family Guy, and I apologize no more because this world is a horrible native satire,” Warburton proclaims in a new interview with Fox News. “Everybody takes themselves too seriously, and… I think in many ways become an overwhelming mess. But we need humor in our lives, and we need love and humor, acceptance. It’s all rather simple.”
Not apologizing for something no one is currently asking you to apologize for does, in fancy, seem simple. But the show has certainly pushed boundaries and chosen targets indiscriminately over the years, so it would be unfair to say that no one has ever demanded an apology from the Family Guy team. Even Warburton himself has pushed back on some of the content, the actor told Digital Spy back in 2019. “There was an episode one time, this has only happened once in 20 years of being on the show—the episode was so offensive I can’t repeat it now. It had to do with Christ on the cross but there was no humor in it and it was just so, so horribly offensive,” he explained.
Acknowledging that he knew what he signed up for with the show, Warburton went so far as to say he wouldn’t participate in that particular episode if the offending line remained in the script. “I play along and I’m not going to get in the way but they go, ‘This line will never make it past standards of practice’ and I go, ‘Well, why does it have to be there in the first place?’ They know I am a team player but I guess we all wonder if we have a line. I said, ‘If you ever do this on the show, it’s diminished returns. It’s not funny but so offensive to any Christian.’”
“In 20 years, there’s only been this one episode,” Warburton reiterated. “We have great communication all the time. They are all great and listen to you. They know I’m a team player. They know how offensive that was.”