Seth MacFarlane Slams ‘Duck Dynasty’ While Receiving Award On A&E
Seth MacFarlane took a bold stance at the Critics’ Choice Awards, calling out Duck Dynasty on the very network that airs the controversial reality show.
MacFarlane, the mind behind Family Guy and American Dad, was accepting the Louis XIII Genius Award when he decided to take aim at the controversial reality show.
“Let’s not forget I’m being declared a genius on a network that airs Duck Dynasty, a show whose cast members believe hurricanes are created by gay marriage. I wish I was joking,” he said.
MacFarlane, who is known as a strong LGBT ally in Hollywood, may have been confusing his anti-gay comments a bit. While it’s not clear if any of Duck Dynasty‘s Robertson clan has said that hurricanes are caused by gay marriage, the members have come under fire for other controversial comments regarding homosexuality.
Phil Robertson, the family’s patriarch, sparked outrage when he appeared to say in a GQ interview that being gay is immoral.
“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus,” Phil Robertson told GQ at the time. “That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”
But Seth MacFarlane didn’t save all his best material for Duck Dynasty. He also took aim at himself, giving a nod to critics who noted the similarities between his shows and the groundbreaking cartoon The Simpsons.
“I want to thank the people at Fox who years ago took a chance on a quirky little animated show about a bumbling dad and his family — which I saw and then created Family Guy,” he said.
While Duck Dynasty may be under fire from Seth MacFarlane, the show itself has been able to weather controversies and remain strong. Though it has seen a decline in ratings from the peak, A&E has remained committed to the show and is preparing the eighth season.
Though the network avoided fanfare in announcing the show’s renewal, A&E did mention the show in announcing its new slate of shows, according to Variety.
“A&E’s numbers have been dragged down by declining viewership for what had been its flagship series, the countrified reality series Duck Dynasty. The show’s popularity has ebbed in the months since patriarch Phil Robertson made headlines for controversial comments about his social views, but Duck Dynasty still got a shout-out during the presentation.”
While the shoutout was seen as a positive for the fledgling show, getting called out by Seth MacFarlane on the network it calls home was likely a setback for Duck Dynasty.
[Photo by Getty Images/Kevin Winter]
