‘Family Guy’ Episode Pulled After Boston Marathon Bombings
Fox has taken down a recent episode of Family Guy after an edited clip that seemed to show Peter Griffin setting off explosions at the Boston Marathon went viral online. The network pulled the episode from television and web sites yesterday, Reuters reports, a day after two pressure-cooker bombs detonated near the finish line of the 116-year-old race, killing three people and injuring 176.
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The edited clip spliced together two unrelated scenes from “Turban Cowboy,” a March episode of the animated show. The first depicted Bob Costas asking lead character Peter Griffin, “How’d you do it?” next to an image of Peter leaning out of his car at the finish line of the marathon, with the bodies of runners splayed out on the pavement behind him. The clip then cuts to Peter dialing a cellphone that detonates explosions off-camera.
Creator Seth MacFarlane denounced the edited clip on Twitter, writing, “The edited Family Guy clip currently circulating is abhorrent. The event was a crime and a tragedy, and my thoughts are with the victims.”
Fox won’t rebroadcast “Turban Cowboy,” and has pulled the episode from its own website and Hulu. The newtwork is working with YouTube to remove the spliced clip, a spokeswoman said.