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Joe Swanson Voice Actor Patrick Warburton Refuses To Apologise For Family Guy Humour

Patrick Warburton is refusing to apologise for the humour used in Family Guy.
Credit: Alamy & 20th Television

Patrick Warburton is refusing to apologise for the humour used in Family Guy.

The cartoon, which has been running since 1999, is one of the most controversial shows on TV.

In fact, it’s been ‘cancelled’ twice and is consistently criticised by parents of the children who watch it, despite it being rated only suitable for adults.

That said, Family Guy is one of the longest-running and most successful comedy shows ever.

Warburton, 58, voices paraplegic police officer Joe Swanson on the show and he says he’s ‘done’ apologising for its often toe-curling jokes.

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He tells Fox News: “I used to apologise for being on Family Guy, and I apologise no more because this world is a horrible native satire.

“Everybody takes themselves too seriously, and… I think in many ways become an overwhelming mess. 

“But we need humour in our lives, and we need love and humour, acceptance.

“It’s all rather simple.”

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However, Warburton’s mum, Barbara, is a Christian and a Parents Television Council member who is critical of the cartoon.  

According to the Daily Mail, she’s said she’d do ‘whatever it takes’ to ensure that controversial TV doesn’t ‘corrupt children’.

Joe Swanson in Family Guy.
Patrick Warburton has refused to apologise for the humour used in Family Guy. Credit: 20th Television

She says of the show: “The wrong messages are out there and that’s my main concern.

“Shows like these are leading toward the destruction of morality… nothing seems sacred any more.”

While Family Guy’s creator, voice actor Seth MacFarlane, has reportedly had a Federal Communications (FCC) complaint filed by Warburton’s mother in his office.

She tells The Destin Log that she had encouraged her son to quit the controversial comedy.

Family Guy
Family Guy has been ‘cancelled’ twice and is consistently criticised by parents of the children who watch it, despite it being rated only suitable for adults. Credit: 20th Television

Barbara says: “I have always adored people in this industry who turn down roles because of their convictions, but Patrick isn’t one of those people.”

While Warburton says he’s not quitting the show anytime soon, it looks like his mother’s complaints have affected him.

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Speaking to Josh Zepps, Warburton said one jibe aimed at Christianity – his mother’s religion – saw him refuse to participate in an entire episode.

He revealed: “It was something so offensive that I said, ‘If that’s in the show, I can’t do this episode… Put it in another f***ing episode that I’m not in’.

“We all wonder if we have that line that can be crossed, and I just discovered there is actually a line with me.”

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Written by Cal Gaunt

Cal is a former content editor at IGV who specialised in writing trending and entertainment news. He previously worked as a news reporter at the Lancashire Telegraph and earned an NCTJ in Sports Journalism.