Family Guy producers to start 'phasing out' gay jokes because they are no longer 'acceptable'
'Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable'
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The executive producers of Family Guy have said the crude animated show has begun “trying to phase out” gay jokes.
Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin said the Seth MacFarlane series is evolving with the times, but will remain politically incorrect.
“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 told TV Line.
“Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable.”
Appel added: “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 producers also spoke about a recent episode that saw Donald Trump receive a beating from Peter Griffin, with Sulkin arguing that the show has attacked all sides of the political divide.
“We’ve had some episodes in the past that had some left leanings in them,” Sulkin said.
“But we take hard shots all around. We’ve made fun of the Clintons and Barack Obama. It’s not like we would avoid anyone because we vote this way or that way.
“In any time that Family Guy has been on, we’ve pointed out idiots and the dumb things they do. This just happens to be our current person, and it would be no different if a Democrat were doing something idiotic, which they do.”
Read more about the Trump episode here.
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