‘Family Guy’ Star Reveals Why His Parents Tried to Get the Sitcom Canceled

Family Guy star Patrick Warburton revealed to People that his parents hate the cartoon sitcom so much they tried to get it canceled. Warburton was attending the PaleyFest L.A.: Family Guy 25th Anniversary Celebration last Friday, April 19, where he explained that his folks “hate" the show "more today” than when it premiered in 1999.

For context, Warburton began by explaining that his father “almost became a monk” and "my mother [went] around the neighborhood when I was 13 years old, passing out pamphlets on the sins of masturbation,” noting that the latter habit "did not get me into the cool crowd."

Warburton—who voices Peter Griffin's neighbor Joe Swanson—announced bluntly: "So, they hate the show."

Warburton’s family disliked Seth McFarlane’s satirical opus so much that they petitioned for the show’s cancellation. Ironically, at the time, the actor’s checks from the show were going to fund his parents’ lifestyle.

"I was helping support my parents with Family Guy money," Warburton said amusedly. "My mother belonged to the American Television Council and they were trying to get the show canceled.”

Warburton continued: "She tried to get me to sign the petition," he explained. "I said, '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.'”

Though Warburton admitted Family Guy’s humor has been "incredibly polarizing" over the years, the show has become a pop culture mainstay and, as a result, has attained some critical respect which it originally eluded.

Still, the actor’s parents aren’t impressed. “They hate it more today," the Seinfeld alum reported.

But Warburton hasn’t been swayed by his family’s disapproval. Before joining co-stars McFarlane, Seth Green, and Mila Kunis for a panel, he told People that he’s still "really thankful to be a little part of” the juggernaut series 22 seasons in.

"Such a great writing crew. Seth's a genius,” Warburton enthused. “I'm just thankful that Seth hired me 25 years ago, because we've seen what Seth does with his voice. We've seen American Dad. I'm glad he's not doing Joe. How about that?" Warburton joked.

Family Guy airs Wednesday nights at 9:30 p.m. on Fox, and is available to stream on Hulu the following day.