Family Guy Star’s Mother Wanted The Show Canceled And Still Hates It

Patrick Warburton has portrayed Joe Swanson since the first season of Family Guy and has even financially supported his parents with money earned from his voice work on the hit animated show. Despite this fact, Warburton explained that his parents are ultra-right-leaning conservative Christians who go to great lengths to spread their message and attempt to censor art that doesn’t squarely agree with their personal views.

Anecdotally, Warburton told the crowd at PaleyFest that his father spent three months in a monastery seeking the wisdom of a deeply Catholic spiritual advisor. His mother spent most of Patrick’s childhood handing out pamphlets in her home neighborhood outlining the sins of masturbation. Through a series of laughs, Warburton expressed that his parents actively campaigned for the cancellation of Family Guy over two decades ago, and still hate it to this day, perhaps even more than they did back then.

It’s no surprise that many members of the viewing public took issue with Family Guy‘s raunchy humor back in the day, though Warburton’s mom had a unique level of control over the show’s destiny. The Seinfeld actor explained that his mother was a member of the American Television Council during the early days of Family Guy‘s run.

She petitioned to have the show pulled off the air, even while receiving financial assistance from her son’s work on the foul-mouthed cartoon. She even attempted to coerce Patrick Warburton himself into signing a petition to cancel the show, which would effectively put him out of a job.

Patrick Warburton’s character on the show was first introduced in the season one episode “A Hero Sits Next Door.” The character is a wheelchair-bound police officer who is prone to fits of explosive rage, though he serves as something of an ethical straight man for most of the other off-the-wall characters who inhabit Quahog, Rhode Island.

Since moving next door to the Griffins in the show’s first season, Joe Swanson has become a core member of the Family Guy crew, accompanying Peter Griffin, Quagmire, and Cleveland Brown on numerous adventures, despite his handicap.

Warburton may not have had any luck converting his deeply religious parents into Family Guy fanatics over the years, though the show is still running despite their best efforts. These days, Family Guy airs on Wednesday nights on Fox, with new episodes available to stream the following day on Hulu. Seth Macfarlane, who still voices a myriad of Family Guy characters, has also gone on to helm a number of offensive satirical programs, such as American Dad, The Cleveland Show, and most recently Ted, on Peacock.