Patrick Warburton said the money he earnt voicing Joe Swanson on the popular cartoon helped support his parents
Family Guy Star Patrick Warburton Reveals His Mother Tried to Get the Show Canceled: “My Parents Hate the Show”
Patrick Warburton, the voice behind Family Guy’s wheelchair-bound character Joe Swanson, has opened up about the long-standing tension between him and his parents over the controversial animated series. The 59-year-old actor revealed that his parents despise the show so much that his mother once attempted to get it canceled.
Warburton, who has voiced Joe since the show’s debut in 1999, made the revelation at PaleyFest in Los Angeles, where the show celebrated its 25th anniversary. The New Jersey native shared that his parents’ disdain for Family Guy has only grown stronger over the years.
“My father spent three months in a monastery, almost becoming a monk… My mother went around our neighborhood when I was 13, passing out pamphlets about the ‘sins of masturbation’—which definitely didn’t help my social life,” Warburton recalled. “They hate the show even more today than they did 25 years ago.”
Warburton also revealed that his mother, a member of the American Television Council, went as far as trying to get the show canceled. “I was helping support my parents with Family Guy money, and she tried to get me to sign a petition to cancel it. I told her, ‘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.’”
Family Guy, created by Seth MacFarlane, is known for its crude humor and often controversial takes on political and cultural issues. Alongside MacFarlane, who voices Peter, Stewie, and Brian, the show features Alex Borstein as Lois, Seth Green as Chris, and Mila Kunis as Meg.
Recently, Family Guy made headlines with a scathing parody of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The episode humorously depicted the couple’s post-royal life in the U.S., mocking their Netflix deal and sponsored social media posts.
Beyond Family Guy, Warburton is also known for his roles in Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and Bee Movie (2006).
The 22nd season of Family Guy recently wrapped, and episodes are available for streaming on Fox in the U.S. and Disney+ in the U.K.
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