Top 20 Times Family Guy Made Fun of Celebs
#20: Matthew McConaughey
“The Former Life of Brian”
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Today, Texan icon Matthew McConaughey is a beloved actor. But it wasn’t always this way. In the 2000s, he was in a string of not-so-great projects… looking at you “Sahara.” So, this made people, like “Family Guy,” question McConaughey’s talents. In the episode “Peter’s Two Dads,” his film “Failure To Launch” was used for a cutaway as Peter proudly told his Irish dad that he made it halfway through the movie. But his more delightful cutaway was in “The Former Life of Brian.” Stewie tries to offend McConaughey as much as possible, whose laid-back attitude and general niceness frustrate the young Griffin. Only when Stewie accuses him of sucking a donkey’s derrière that McConaughey gets stern, as though he’s hiding something… suspicious.
#19: Kim Kardashian
“Stewie’s First Word”
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Since leaving her mark on the public consciousness with the reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” Kim Kardashian has been a regular target of mockery for comedy programs. And in the episode “Stewie’s First Word,” “Family Guy” took aim. After Peter finds a Magic 8 Ball, he takes its predictions very seriously. When Brian questions what it is, the patriarch gives a scathing double entendre. Later, after asking it a question that causes the toy to explode, we see a heartbroken Kardashian feel a disturbance in the Force. The show even took a shot at their confusing family tree in “Island Adventure.”
#18: Sean Hannity
“Adam West High”
The right-wing political commentator Sean Hannity is a divisive figure. After all, he has regularly promoted various conspiracy theories on his many shows. As such, “Family Guy” got really brutal about Hannity in the episode “Adam West High.” Peter, Quagmire, Joe, and Cleveland begin competing against each other in delivering the most insulating joke about a photograph of Hannity, focusing solely on his looks in the image. The four spend nearly a minute roasting the commentator, each quip as vicious as the last. But this isn’t the only big mention of Hannity. In a cutaway gag for “Ocean’s Three and a Half,” Hannity is shown making a nonsensical argument to Alan Colmes, who was subbed with Droopy.
#17: Gary Busey
“Road to the North Pole”
One of the most defining characteristics of actor Gary Busey is his teeth. So, “Family Guy” made his early references in the show all about that. For the episode “Partial Terms of Endearment,” Lois is shown what a lovechild between Hilary Swank and Busey would be like, showcasing its massive gnashers. But more infamously, the “Road to the North Pole” episode changed track and focussed on Busey’s history of substance use disorder and erratic behavior. Stewie sets up a cutaway involving reality turning its back on Busey. We then see the actor, he’s in a run-down bathroom, yell-asking into a mirror in first person about how he’s doing, only to have a disturbing clown respond with positivity.
#16: Ellen DeGeneres
“A Wife-Changing Experience”
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“Family Guy” has taken shots at the once-uber popular talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, usually at her presenting style. For example, in “And I’m Joyce Kinney,” they joke about her speaking over her guests, then not saying anything when they stop. When the allegations came out about her show having a toxic working environment, forcing its cancellation, the writers chose to highlight this for the episode “A Wife-Changing Experience.” Using the template of a sad Sarah McLachlan animal donation commercial, this parody version featured the production staff for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” One highlight has a camera operator picking up a spilled sandwich that was batted from his hands by the angry host, supposedly. It really makes us want to send cash in.
#15: O. J. Simpson
“The Juice Is Loose”
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Many were shock when former NFL star O. J. Simpson was found not guilty of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1995. This opened up a massive amount of controversy that comedy shows have been feasting on ever since. And “Family Guy” has done just that many times. But the most memorable was the episode “The Juice Is Loose,” which features a parody of Simpson throughout. Peter is convinced that the former footballer is innocent and does his best to change the minds of his family and neighbors. And it all goes well… until the end, when out of nowhere, Simpson fatally stabs three people before running off, causing an angry mob to follow.
#14: Kanye West
“Married... with Cancer”
The rapper, especially in his later career, has been a smorgasbord of comedy for “Family Guy” to pick through. If it’s not West’s turbulent relationship with Taylor Swift, it’s his more erratic behavior that the writers have highlighted. In the episode “Married... with Cancer,” Quagmire sets up a cutaway by stating Brian’s bachelor party will be crazier than whatever West’s doing. Cut to the rapper massaging a lasagna as he's covered in sauce and cheese. Another delightful Ye nod is the Kanye Canes in “Don’t Be a Dickens at Christmas,” which utter whimsical West-esque sayings as they’re placed in the family’s stockings.
#13: Kevin Spacey
“Don’t Make Me Over”
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With hindsight, this 2005 joke in the episode “Don’t Make Me Over” raises a lot of questions. Did the writers know about the allegations even then? Or was it just a coincidental jape? For those that don’t know, Kevin Spacey was accused of various harassment and assaults. As Brian and Stewie are at the mall, the baby Griffin accepts a bet to do a dare. He proceeds to run while yelling that he escaped from Spacey’s basement. Another Spacey dunk is in “HTTPete.” The TV shows a parody of “The Avengers,” called “The Offenders.” It features a team of disgraced entertainment figures, like Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and, of course, the “American Beauty” actor.
#12: Tom Cruise
“Papa Has a Rollin’ Son”
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“Family Guy” really enjoys mocking Tom Cruise. In the episode “Lois Kills Stewie,” they do a skit involving Katie Holmes’s ankle bracelet deactivating. So, she escapes Cruise and frees skimpily-dressed men in a cage. In “Meet the Quagmires,” they do a cutaway about Cruise constantly running in his films to escape certain thoughts. But the best mockery of the actor has to be the introduction of Tiny Tom Cruise. Sailing into his iconic status for the episode “Papa Has a Rollin’ Son,” a strange yet weirdly endearing Cruise befriends Stewie over their shared miniature stature. But when that connection turns out not to be the case, and Stewie distances himself from Cruise, the actor becomes particularly creepy and stalks the youngster.
#11: Michael Jackson
“Prick Up Your Ears”
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With the rumors and then the court case that led to him being acquitted of all charges, “Family Guy” has dabbled in dark humor when it comes to Michael Jackson. In “The Courtship of Stewie’s Father,” Stewie and Peter watch a 3D film at Disney World that features the former Jackson 5 singer. As they comment on how lifelike he is, he turns out to be entirely lifelike. For “Prick Up Your Ears,” Lois sets up a cutaway involving a young Jackson promoting a cereal, mentioning the kid in him likes the frosting. It then switches to older Jackson, who takes things entirely in the other direction.
#10: KISS
“Road to Europe”
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KISS plays a small role in the “Family Guy” canon, as Lois dated Gene Simmons before he was famous. They clearly still have some sort of connection, as seen in “Don’t Make Me Over” when Gene uncoils his hilariously long tongue and… says hello to Lois. They do however play a major role in 2002’s episode “Road to Europe,” where Ace Frehley is portrayed as a bumbling doofus and Peter argues that no one wants to dress like Peter Criss. And who can forget the iconic fictional TV show “KISS Saves Santa,” where the band is portrayed as corny sellouts reduced to doing a stupid Christmas movie. Then again, it doesn’t get much cornier than KISS…
#9: Justin Bieber
“Lois Comes Out of Her Shell”
Once upon a time, it was really cool to make fun of Justin Bieber, and “Family Guy” definitely jumped on that bandwagon. His biggest appearance is in Season 11’s “Lois Comes Out of Her Shell,” when she attends his concert. A woman in the audience talks about his gender-fluid appeal, and once Peter takes over onstage, he presents Conway Twitty with an old school Bieber haircut. In another instance, a futuristic elderly Stewie comments on Bieber (and Katy Perry) being “real music” in a hilarious jab at misaimed nostalgia. Bieber is later described in “An App a Day” as a celebrity that became successful despite exposing himself and finally, in the song “Thank the Whites,” Peter states that the Biebs talks and dresses like he’s black.
#8: John Travolta
“Petergeist”
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If there’s one thing “Family Guy” desperately wants us to know, it’s that John Travolta is supposedly gay. The first jab comes in “Petergeist,” when a cutaway shows Travolta getting confused during his wedding vows. In “Mr. and Mrs. Stewie,” Peter grows incensed over Lois buying twin beds and compares their sexless sleeping arrangement to that of Travolta and Preston. In “Bigfat,” Quagmire procures Travolta’s private plane after catching him sleeping with “someone” other than Preston. And finally, a cutaway in “Peter’s Def Jam” shows Travolta as a pilot encouraging his passengers to come out of the closet. Does Seth MacFarlane know something we don’t?
#7: John Goodman
“Hot Shots”
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Like John Travolta, a majority of the jabs aimed at John Goodman target a specific area--in this case, his weight. Perhaps the most famous crack on Goodman is the cutaway that shows him eating an entire Thanksgiving dinner by himself while his emaciated family looks on. During a restaurant conversation, Stewie pressures Jillian to purge after a meal by comparing her “meaty” body to Goodman’s (along with Ruben Studdard and Santa). We also see John grow concerned after hearing his heartbeat (which he mistakes for a “boob stomach”). But a particularly vicious double dig occurs in “Hot Shots,” as Goodman is told his EKG reading spells out “pancakes” before needing a pair of horses to help him walk. It’s meanspirited as hell, but what do you expect? This is “Family Guy.”
#6: Coldplay
“Valentine’s Day in Quahog”
“Family Guy’s” writers and producers clearly aren’t touched by Coldplay’s music. In one hilarious cutaway, Peter is kicked out of the band after suggesting they change up their signature style. In “Valentine’s Day in Quahog,” Meg’s date confidently states his opinion of Coldplay in reference to his own personal style. The writers also take a dig at their overly sentimental music, as “Clocks” can be heard playing during a cliché fictional movie about a busy corporate woman finding love. Having endured criticism in the past for being overly sensitive, Coldplay are no strangers to jokes like these and they certainly take them in stride.
#5: Jimmy Fallon
“Don’t Make Me Over”
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Having both evolved in the 2000s, “Family Guy” has had a front row seat to Jimmy Fallon’s career and they love to call out his quirks. Back in 2005, Peter beat Jimmy on the set of “Saturday Night Live” for laughing and glancing at the camera too much, a criticism that was often directed towards him at the time. When Fallon became host of “The Tonight Show,” the jokes were aimed at his safe and corporate image. After failing to make a viral video, Peter mentions that they should have gotten Fallon to do something lame instead, and in “HTTPete,” Peter watches “The Tonight Show” where Jimmy emasculates Al Pacino by making him play a childish game. We don’t think they care too much for his hosting duties. Or his acting, for that matter.
#4: Jay Leno
“I Dream of Jesus”
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Speaking of late night hosts, Jay Leno doesn’t get off easy either. In fact, he arguably gets it worse. For one thing, they make fun of his physical appearance, as fictionalized Leno always appears with a massively exaggerated chin. They also take digs at his high-pitched voice, bizarre laugh, and delivery style in episodes “I Dream of Jesus” and “Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q.” Ironically, (or perhaps sarcastically) Stewie is portrayed as a fan of Leno’s when seen vehemently defending him after Peter makes fun of his terrible sense of humor in “The King Is Dead.” And don’t think that his fashion is off limits either, as Season 14’s “Underage Peter” takes a swipe at Leno’s obsessive love of denim. So be thankful, Jimmy Fallon. It could be a lot worse!
#3: Alec Baldwin
“Ratings Guy”
Much like John Goodman, Alec Baldwin is picked on for his eating habits. Which is a little weird, considering he’s not even that big. The first jab comes in Season 4’s “I Take Thee Quagmire,” when Baldwin (in one of the most disturbing cutaways in the show’s history) is seen getting milked by his younger, less successful siblings. It’s just weird. In “Ratings Guy,” Peter plays a game called “Hungry Hungry Alec Baldwins,” where, in place of hippos, several Alecs gleefully devour the coloured balls without Peter’s involvement. And finally, in the “Star Wars”-inspired episode “It’s a Trap!,” C-3PO Quagmire mistakes Jabba the Hut as Alec Baldwin.
#2: Ryan Reynolds
“Stewie Goes for a Drive”
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Reynolds is one of the most beloved actors of our time and even “Family Guy” can’t resist falling for his charms. But they do so, of course, in their own way. In the episode “Follow the Money,” Quagmire’s parent, Ida Davis, is shown sarcastically complimenting him. In “Farmer Guy,” Peter is portrayed as the owner of a failed video store that only rented copies of Ryan Reynolds (and Sandra Bullock’s) movie “The Proposal.” Reynolds’ major appearance, however, comes in Season 10’s “Stewie Goes for a Drive,” where he actually voices a version of himself. Throughout the episode, Reynolds spends most of his time implying that he is attracted to Peter. He draws attention to his low-riding pants, tries to get his lower abdomen tickled, and gets way too intimate at dinner. If Ryan’s not the best sport, we don’t know who is!
#1: James Woods
“Peter’s Got Woods”
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Unlike Adam West, James Woods actually plays himself, albeit with a few major caveats. James first appeared in Season 4’s “Peter’s Got Woods” as an insanely jealous, petty and neurotic person. His clash with Peter and Brian was so memorable, it led to him becoming a regular antagonist on the show. He steals Peter’s identity, ruins Brian’s TV pilot, and even transfuses the life force of a seventeen-year-old girl so he can return from the dead. It was all very hilarious, but things seem to have turned sour between Woods and the show’s producers over his controversial Tweets and his issue with some of their scripts. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted!
