Ah, leave it to The Men to give themselves a pat on the back for "predicting" accused Hollywood predators like Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein -- who, let the record show, were actually outed by talented journalists (many of them women) and the survivors who found the courage to speak up against them (again, many of them women).
Only a show like Family Guywould feel justified in congratulating itself for a few passing jokes that acknowledged the widely known abuses of now-disgraced Hollywood men like Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. The show packaged its Emmy consideration mailers this year with a smug-looking Peter Griffin insisting, "We predicted Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weisntein. Open DVD to see who’s next."
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With all the subtlety and nuance of a typicalFamily Guyjoke, the viewer opens the DVD only to find a mirror. Get it?! Because the one "who's next" is YOU! Hah! (Presumably assuming, of course, that the Emmy judge in question would be male, and I guess experiencing some level of anxiety over being "next" on the #MeToo "hit list" -- or something?)
Now, before you send you Twitter @s -- we get it. The joke is supposedto be in line with Peter Griffin's characteristic arrogant pig-headedness.
But that still doesn't make it any less gross to see Family Guytaking this historical moment for women's rights and sexual abuse survivors as an opportunity to promote their own contributions... in the context of a goddamn Emmy bid.
The "predictions" they're referring to were a) An off-handed joke back in 2005 where a naked Stewie says he escaped from Kevin Spacey's basement, and b) Another brief joke from when Family Guycreator Seth MacFarlane hosted the 2013 Oscars and joked about actresses not having to pretend to be attracted to ex-executive producer mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Listen, we docommend MacFarlane for speaking out when others weren't able to. His reasons for the Oscars joke seemed nothing but sincere. We also commend Difficult Peoplefor doing similar Kevin Spacey jabs, too, and about fifty more than Family Guyever did. And we also don't see Billy Eichner self-promoting by calling attention to the bravery of these jokes.
It's also especially gross when you consider how, beforethe Weinstein callout at the 2013 Oscars, Seth MacFarlane opened the show with the lovely song titled, "We Saw Your Boobs." During this song, to the clear horror of most actresses in the room, MacFarlane expressed his allyship to women subjected to sexual assault and harassment in Hollywood by personally calling out each one of them who acted in a nude scene.
Yikes.
And, hey, no one's perfect. We've all had years of learning since 2013. But really, my dude?