Fox
Joe Swanson, a character voiced by Patrick Warburton, is a significant figure in Seth MacFarlane’s long-standing animated series, “Family Guy.” Swanson, alongside the foolish Peter (voiced by MacFarlane), the reserved Cleveland (voiced by Mike Henry, then Arif Zahir), and the lewd Quagmire (also voiced by MacFarlane), form a close-knit group of friends. They frequently gather at their local Rhode Island pub, the Drunken Clam, to share tales of their misadventures and professional victories. Swanson, a police officer of many years, stands out as the most competent among them. He is characterized by his striking square jaw, broad shoulders, and contentment in his marriage to Bonnie (Jennifer Tilly).
Swanson’s character is unique in that he is one of the few regularly appearing disabled characters on mainstream television. Portrayed as physically capable, he often handles criminals more effectively than his able-bodied peers. Despite this, “Family Guy” is notorious for its unapologetically crude humor, which occasionally targets Joe. A 2017 study revealed that Joe Swanson’s disability was openly ridiculed in 15% of his appearances throughout the first 15 seasons of “Family Guy.”
Warburton, who is not disabled himself, recognizes that “Family Guy” operates on the boundaries of comedy, cultivating a large audience with its raucous, intentionally offensive humor. He approaches his role with respect, acknowledging that some of the more provocative jokes may not resonate with his personal beliefs. However, he believes that one must be willing to be offended to work on “Family Guy.”
In a 2019 interview with Digital Spy, Warburton recalled instances where he felt Seth MacFarlane “overstepped.” There was one particular instance where MacFarlane scripted a joke that Warburton found so distasteful, he refused to participate in the episode. Interestingly, the line in question was not even meant for Joe’s character. Warburton simply despised the joke.
The ‘Family Guy’ gag that Patrick Warburton found offensive
Fox
Warburton, while tactful, frustratingly declined to disclose the offensive gag or even the episode it was from, only revealing that it was of a religious nature. It’s worth noting that Warburton is a devout Christian and a political conservative, and his mother is part of the ultra-conservative media watchdog group, the Parent’s Television Council. Interestingly, his mother’s group often targets Warburton’s show. Despite this, Warburton found a “Family Guy” joke about the Crucifixion to be excessively offensive. He explained:
“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 humour in it and it was just so, so horribly offensive. It wasn’t a Joe line but I said, ‘Guys, I can’t participate in this episode if that line is in it. It’s a personal thing.’ I know what I signed up for. I signed up for a really offensive show and it is satire and there are different rules that govern satire; there are, because of what they’ve gotten away with.”
Warburton was well aware of the nature of his job and likely found humor in some of the show’s more outrageous and offensive lines. However, he did not want to be part of an episode that mocked Christianity in the way MacFarlane intended. MacFarlane, a vocal atheist and critic of modern religious thought, often refers to God as “the invisible man that lives in the sky.” It’s plausible to assume that MacFarlane intended to provoke religious institutions with a distasteful crucifixion joke.
It raises the question of how often the writer and the actor discussed religion.
Patrick Warburton questioned the necessity of the joke
Fox
“Family Guy” is known for its slapstick humor involving Jesus Christ. Sometimes, Jesus is portrayed in a way that mocks him and highlights the hypocrisy of certain modern Christian groups. Other times, Jesus is depicted as a moral authority, often pointing out the genuine moral failings of a character like Peter Griffin.
While Warburton took offense to the crucifixion joke, he also questioned its quality. He suggested that repeatedly making offensive jokes can eventually diminish their impact. He said:
“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.'”
Warburton wanted to clarify that this was the only time in 20 years of production that he felt MacFarlane crossed a line. He said, “In 20 years, there’s only been this one episode. We have great communication all the time. They are all great and listen to you.” Considering that a conservative Christian was only offended once in the 20-year history of “Family Guy,” it can be argued that MacFarlane, despite his blunt humor, was often fair.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
