Family Guy star Patrick Warburton reveals his parents loathe the show, even though they have proven to benefit from it. Image source: Fox.
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Family Guy is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. What is a reason to celebrate for many fans probably annoys the mother of voice actor Patrick Warburton. She detests the animated series so much that she has advocated for its discontinuation in the past.
Warburton belonged not among the cool kids
Family Guy, the hugely successful adult animated series, has always been known for its heavy dose of dark humor. The actor and voice actor Patrick Warburton has been there since the first season the wheelchair-using police officer Joe Swanson set to music.
Warburton seems to like the series a lot, after all, he has been a part of it for 22 seasons. However, his mother in particular is not happy about it. During PaleyFest in LA (via People), Warburton told about his religious parents and how they influenced his childhood:
My father was in the monastery for three months. He almost became a monk. When I was 13 years old, my mother went around the neighborhood handing out pamphlets about the sins of masturbation. That didn't make me one of the cool kids.
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It's not uncommon for Family Guy to make fun of Christianity and religions in general. This leads to Warburton's parents loathing the series since it began airing. His mother was a member of the Christian conservative advocacy group Parents Television Council and even went so far as to attempt to have the series canceled via petition.
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Warburton accuses his mother of double standards
Warburton also added that the relationship between his parents and the show was actually very ambivalent:
I supported my parents with Family Guy money. My mother tried to get me to sign the petition [zur Absetzung der Show] to sign. I said: Mom, if you think that I don't talk about this publicly, that would be the greatest irony. You are washing [mit der Petition] even your money.
What Warburton did with the accusation of Money laundering
says: On the one hand, his mother accepts the money from the series, but on the other hand she wants to clear her religious conscience by publicly condemning Family Guy and campaigning for its cancellation.
However, Warburton does not share his mother's concerns and points to the satirical spirit of the series:
Family Guy is a series that has been running for 25 years. It's cartoon. It's satire. As long as it remains relevant, current and creative, [wird sie] move on and develop.
The attempt to depose Warburton's mother has obviously failed. But that doesn't mean Family Guy has had a smooth 25 years. The series was originally canceled in 2003 after the third season. However, the DVDs sold so well that it continued again in 2005. The 23rd season of Family Guy is scheduled to start in the USA this year.