It has been several years since One Million Moms addressed the content on “Family Guy.” A decade ago, 1MM contacted sponsors and even filed complaints with the FCC. Hoping it was in the past, we moved on to other worthy projects. Sadly, we were wrong. One of the latest episodes of Fox Broadcast Network’s “Family Guy” depicted the sexual assault of the animated character Meg Griffin, a high school teenager. To make matters worse, the character committing the crime was President Donald Trump while in the Oval Office.
Ironically, Family Guy‘s executive producer Alec Sulkin recently acknowledged that some content is no longer publicly acceptable. He said they aren’t planning to use any more jokes targeted at gay people. “If you look at a show from 2005 or 2006 and put it side by side with a show from 2018 or 2019, they’re going to have a few differences,” he said in an interview with TV Line, “some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable.”
We are deeply troubled by the potential impact on children who may become desensitized to, or who will trivialize, real-life consequences of such horrendous conduct. We call on the producers to heed their very own words and refrain from using sexual assault for comedic entertainment ever again.
The episode of concern aired on Sunday, January 13 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific time, 8:00 p.m. Central/Mountain time. This vulgar program is far from family-friendly. However, Fox rated this episode TV-14 DLSV meaning that in the network’s opinion, this material is appropriate for 14-year-olds. This irresponsible and tasteless program is inappropriate for any age, but Fox believes this content is suitable for children who do not even have their driver’s license yet.
Fox’s “Family Guy” encourages violence and almost every scene is filled with crude language, sexual innuendo, and graphic encounters. It is almost impossible to describe the depth of depravity found in the Fox program "Family Guy." No child should be subjected to this kind of vulgar content (especially in the form of a cartoon). Even though the program is animated, there are still victims. The victims of this outrageous show are any children who view the program and will likely be drawn to it since it is a cartoon. Nielsen ratings show Family Guy has been one of the most-watched shows on television by children ages 12-17, and even as young as 2-11.
Fox crossed the line, and 1MM is calling out the network. The network should be ashamed and held accountable. Fox Network needs to know that, as a parent, you are highly offended by this display of violence on a teenage girl. It is never appropriate to joke about the sexual assault of anyone, but especially of a minor.
Add your voice today and hold Fox accountable! Please sign our petition calling out Fox for depicting sexual assault of a teen during a recent episode of “Family Guy.” Let Fox know you are also offended by the same January 13 episode that disrespected President Trump by portraying him as the one involved in this horrendous act.
Please take a few seconds to sign the petition and share it with your friends.
